Fast Forward
by Sensue
Summary: Angel's family grows larger. Life seems perfect, his wife and children are happy, but what happens when tragedy strikes? How will they all cope? Complete as of 11204.
1. 1 First day of school 2 wedding bells

**Fast Forward **

**(Chapters 1-2)**

By: Sensue

December 15, 2003

_Summary_: Not-so-short snippets of the children and their family at various ages.

_Timeline_: Various time periods…I have ignored Season 4 of Angel: the series after Cordy comes back from the higher planes. I think that it's a horrible season. (No Cordy/Connor, No Angelus, No Semi-Evil Wesley, No Demon Pregnancy, No Rain of Fire, etc.) Also, in this story, Connor was never kidnapped by Wesley. Connor is two years older than Cathy and Nicky. Sorry if I'm confusing you with the 'Connor is a teenager' vs. 'Connor is a baby' thing. It's easier to understand my stories if you read my other fanfiction, especially Secrets. 

_Characters_: Angel and Cordy are married. Connor and Cathy are their children. Faith and Robin are getting married. Nicky is their son. The other characters haven't changed much since Season 3 of Angel.

_Disclaimer_: I don't own the characters of Angel, Cordy, Fred, Gunn, Lorne, Wesley, Robin, Faith, Spike, Wolfram and Hart, (the lawyers), or Angel Investigations. The WB network and Joss Whedon have that privilege. I do however own the characters of Nicholas Wood and Cathy Lucy Angel. (I made them up means I get to keep them.) If you want to use them, please email me. 

_Rating_: TV 14. (Exactly like the show…I don't go that overboard, and if I do, I'll definitely warn you.)

_Pairings: Cordy/Angel, Robin/Faith, the rest are surprises. _

**Chapter One: The First Day of School**

It was hard to believe the passing of time. It seemed that only months ago were the children babies and now here they were getting ready for the first day of kindergarten. Connor, as the eldest and most experienced at school was busy giving his sister and "cousin" tips on how to make friends and fun things to do at their new school, while they put on their new sneakers for their exciting day. They all were dressed in the most fashionable, yet practical and cost efficient clothes that money can buy, chosen by their resident Fashion Expert, Cordelia Chase-Angel, aka Mommy Cordy. 

Nicky Wood looked at his big cousin with wide eyes. "And if you're bad, the teachers make you sit in a corner and stare at the wall," Connor preached, "but don't worry, they usually fall for the 'I'm Sorry Tears'." 

Cathy asked her brother, "What's the 'I'm Sorry Tears'?"

"I'm sorry tears are when you cry really loud and sob "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be bad" in between cries. You can only use it about three times before the teachers catch on though."

Nicky and Cathy nodded in understanding, grateful for the tips Connor was giving them. Mommy Cordy and Mommy Faith never told them anything about a Bad Corner. 

"Hey, Brats. You three ready for the first day of school?" Faith walked in, glancing at the kids to make sure they were dressed up and ready to go. Connor gave her a "Yesss…" shout, while her son and her niece just looked kind of shell-shocked. 

"Cath, Nicky, are you two okay?" It was very strange, she even told her fiancé, Nicky's father, Robin, that Nicky was so quiet. It was as if the child didn't belong to either of them, for both Faith and Robin could never be called soft-spoken. Actually, it could be said that they were quite the opposite.

"Mommy, are the teachers evil? 'cause if they are I don't want to go to school." Nicky mumbled. 

Right when Faith was about to answer, Lorne walked in. The big green lovable demon gave them a huge smile. "Munchkins, you ready to go? Breakfast a la Daddy is on the table." 

Cathy and Connor ran down the stairs in order to get the first helping of Daddy's famous omelets and pancakes. Their mommy always remarked at how great Angel's cooking was, despite his liquid diet. They tried to get their fast enough to beat Uncle Will to the table. Uncle Will was a "good eater" that didn't seem as limited as Angel in respect to food. In fact, he seemed to love food and would even mix it with his blood. Ewww. 

Lorne shook his head at the scene, and followed the two down to the kitchen. Nicky stayed behind, waiting for his mommy to answer. "Nicky, who said that teachers were evil? Did Connor? Because I bet he was just joking with you." 

"Connor said that if the teacher said that you were being bad, you had to stare at the wall ALL DAY," Nicky frown, "What if the teacher thinks that I'm bad? I'm not bad, mommy. I'm a good guy, like you and daddy." 

"Nicky, your teacher would never, ever, ever think that you were even a little bad. You just listen to what the teacher tells you and everything will be okay. If the teacher is mean to you or tries to hurt you though, you have to tell me. Mommy will take care of her; I mean it. Take care of it. I'll talk to her and see what happened that she was mean to you. You don't have to worry, baby. All you need to do is have a good day at school, learns lots of new things, and to make some new friends. Ok," she waited for a nod, "ok. I love you, Nicky."

Her son jumped up and threw his arms around her for a huge hug. He bent his head in close to hers, whispering, "I love you too, mommy" in her ears. Then he let go and ran out the door and down the stairs in pursuit of the promised breakfast. Faith closed her eyes for a moment trying to keep the tears in control. She couldn't believe her luck. She had a beautiful baby boy who loved her and was just growing up so fast. She was in love, IN LOVE, with a wonderful man who seemed to want to give her the world. She had a big family, a weird family full of demons and vampires, but a loving, caring family despite that fact. She was getting married soon even after five years of saying "no" to Robin's proposals. That man definitely knew how to wear down her defenses.

She took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and on the way out of the room almost collided with a sobbing Cordy. Cordy pushed her back into the room, shut the door behind them, then promptly sank on the floor; her hands over her face, while she cried her heart out. "Cordy, what the hell? Are you alright? Did something happen? Is everyone okay? It's not Angel, is it? Did you have a fight?" 

Cordy shook her head at all the questions thrown at her. "Well, then why the hell are you crying?" 

"My little baby girl is going to school and is leaving me. Soon she'll want to live at her friend's house because she's too ashamed to be seen with her half-demon mother and cheap vampire father. Then she'll hate me and find a boyfriend that will only break her heart and leave her alone to face the dark horrible world. Connor is getting so big. Soon he'll be a teenager who'll probably want to grow up to be a Lawyer just to spite his parents. And what if he gets into drugs or a gang or a vampire cult or something? Then what'll I do? I can't let them go to school. It's too dangerous. I knew it. I'll just ask Wesley if he wants to home school them or something." Cordy, at first just sobbing, was just becoming hysterical. 

Cordy launched herself on her feet, intent on opening the door and stopping the children from talking that first crucial step out of babyhood was stopped by a strong, yet gentle restraining hand on her arm. "Cordy, take a breath, okay. You always do this on the first day of school; remember how you were worried when Connor had to go to kindergarten? You and Angel almost had a coronary. Although, I must admit Angel was worse than you were. You were worried that Connor would get hurt. Now look at him. He's been going to school for two years. He loves it. So calm down, wipe your face, put on a happy smile, and try to act excited. Cathy and Nicky are. Hell, they've already got their new backpacks and lunch boxes ready for the last three months. I had Fred switch the lunches in them while they weren't looking so that they wouldn't take moldy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to school. So, there okay, they're going to be fine." 

"You're absolutely right, Faith. They'll be fine. I can't believe I cried like that. We should go downstairs and see if the boys need help with breakfast." 

With that, Cordy and Faith, walked down the stairs to the back hallway of the hotel to enter the large noisy kitchen. Robin, Gunn, Fred, and Lorne were sitting at the table, drinking their morning cup of coffee. Faith opened the door just in time to catch Fred smacking Spike on the head. "Oww. That bloody well hurt. I was only tasting it."

"Spike, would you just wait? The rest of us would like to eat as well," Gunn complained. 

Glares were shot at various individuals, until Cordy cleared her throat. The glares where then turned into innocent stares. It was real funny. You really didn't want to make the Princess, as Spike calls her, mad. She was the epitome of the mother figure in the hotel. 

Wesley, bless his soul, interrupted, "We all should eat rather quickly; the school bus should be here in about 15 minutes."

With that announcement, the omelet was passed around, juice and blood was pour, the bread was toasted, and the meal was eaten. After the children had finished their meal, they were sent to the bathroom to brush their teeth. Cordy, brush in hand, put the final finishing touches on their hair styles, fixed their collars, made sure the shoes were tied and then gave them a long hug and kiss on the forehead. 

Angel handed them their stuffed backpacks and lunch boxes. He gave each child a quick kiss on the cheek and patted their heads. "Have a great day at school, sweethearts." 

This released the other adults in the room. Soon the kids were all being hug, kissed, and pampered on the way out the door. Spike and Angel were unable to watch the kids board the bus, due to their "sun allergy," but the others walked outside to wait for the bus with the children. Wesley, ever the responsible one, held the camera proudly in his hands as the bus passed in front of the hotel. He must have taken over 20 pictures of them getting on the bus. Soon the bus had pulled away and was out of the sight. By the time, Wesley put down the camera, his "allergies" had seemed to develop out of the blue, for he was wiping his eyes and blowing his nose. Cordy was breathing heavily and hugging Fred, who had the same problem. Robin rubbed Faith on the shoulders. 

Faith, on the other hand, was crying openly. "Oh, God. Cordy, you were right. This is too soon. Nicky isn't ready for school. It's dangerous. What if a demon tries to eat the kids or a vampire cult tries to kidnap them? Wesley and Fred can just teach them here." She tried to get out of Robin's grasp, attempting to run after the bus to stop it from taking the kids. "We have to stop that bus." 

Faith was comforted and taken back inside the hotel. Spike and Angel sat on the round couch in the middle of the lobby. They both looked as if they had been tortured for hours. They were sullen and broody. An unnecessary sigh escaped Angel's lips, "Now, what are we going to do? There's nothing to do during the day anymore." Spike opened his mouth to say something. Angel interrupted before the words were uttered, "And, No, I'm not going to watch Passions with you."

"Hey, we could sing." Lorne received glares. 

"I guess you all have got to get some lives that don't revolve around the kids. Faith, now you and Robin can start planning that wedding. Cordy, you and Angel could do whateve' you all do when you're not fightin' demons or takin' care of the kids. And the rest of us can just focus on the business a little more."  Gunn suggested. 

"Ok. We could do that." Robin agreed. 

The rest of the day was focused on not running to the phone every time it rang and looking at the clock. 

It had reached about 2:50 pm, when Spike had finally exploded. "Where are they? What if they've been kidnapped? What if they got beat up at school? What if…? We have to go pick them up. Maybe they're afraid of that bus driver. Those bus drivers nowadays, things happen. Just yesterday on Passions, the bus driver of that little redhead was drunk and passed out when he was driving. The poor redhead's now in a coma." [_I really don't watch Passions, so I'm making this part up…Hey, it could happen. ~Sensue_] 

Faith took in what Spike said and was starting to think her old murderous thoughts. _If they hurt my baby, they will never find the bodies._ Angel seemed to know what she was thinking so he walked up behind her put his arms across her waist and whispered in her ear to just relax. "Nicky will be just fine. The kids are okay."

Spike was starting to go to the underground access behind the stairs when the door opened, with three hyperactive jumping children running through the hotel to hug their parents. The room was alive with laughter and excitement. 

The children, all at once, told them all about their day, the other kids that they met. How nice the teachers were. How they had lunch in a big room with a lot of other kids. How they got to go outside for recess. Tears were again wiped and hugs given out to all.

Nicky, in a quiet, yet resounding voice, said, "See mommy, school wasn't bad. It was good. And…The teachers weren't Evil, so you don't have to kill them. Okay?" 

Faith turned a healthy shade of red at that, while the others laughed and hugged the kids.

**Chapter Two: Wedding Bells**

Faith sat in Cordy and Angel's bedroom beside Cordy's beauty vanity set.  Cordy kneeled on the floor right in front of her while applying her makeup. After weeks of ragging on Faith to use lighter lip and eye colors for the wedding, Cordy decided the only way to make sure that Faith looked perfect on her wedding day was to do her makeup, hair, and accessory addition herself. Fred sat on the bed and watched Cordy work. After getting herself ready and dressed, Cordy literally spent two hours an a half doing Fred and Faith's hair. Fred wished that she had Cordy's patience with that sort of thing. Now, she was on the makeup part, and boy, was she good at it. Fred looked really pretty with pink tones, while Faith looked very natural. Her face looked flawless; her eyes were light and shimmering, and her lips, absolutely sexy and kissable. Even Faith didn't complain when she saw the results. 

Faith, as she was becoming transformed thought about how her life had changed. Here she was, a reformed murdering slayer, getting married to the son of a slayer. She had a son and a wonderful extended family that loved her and now, she was GETTING MARRIED. It was almost like a dream. 

Now that the bride was absolutely beautiful, the final touches were applied. The white dress she chose was put on, with plenty of help from Fred and Cordy. Then the veil was attached to her hair. All three women looked at each other, tears glistening in their eyes.

Cordy warned, "Hey, no tearing or crying. I just spent a half an hour on your makeup and I'm not going to let you look all splotchy." Both girls nodded. Fred got a glint in her eyes. 

"We need to do the wedding traditions before we let you out of the room. Let's go over the list. Okay, do you have something new?" The dress was pointed to. "Check. Do you have something old?"

"Ooo. I almost forgot," Cordy ran across the room to the bottom drawer, "This is from Angel. Trust me, it's definitely old." Cordy brought out a jewelry box. She opened it showing the glittering, sparkling diamond and gold necklace, then removing it from the box and putting it on the speechless bride. 

"Oh, my god. Cordy, I can't wear this. I'll ruin it or something. It's a diamond. The only other diamond I have is my engagement ring. It's expensive and it's Angel's." Faith gasped.

"Faith, shut up. Angel wanted you to have it. Okay." Cordy was very insistent on putting it on her. "It's yours. Angel wants you to keep it. Besides, it does match your ring."

"Ok. New thing, check. Next, um, something lace?" Fred continued. The garter was a light pink lace. "Something pink? Oh. The garter can be both, pink and lace. Something borrowed?" 

"No. I didn't borrow anything. It's all new." 

"Don't worry. Fred to the rescue. You can wear my ring. It's gold too, like the necklace. So no one will notice it. Just put it on your other hand." 

"Okay. We're done. I'm ready. I'm ready to be Mrs. Robin Wood. I'm going to be Mrs. Faith Wood." Faith took a deep breath, "Does anyone know if the boys are ready? If they are let's get this party started." 

In the other side of the hotel, Robin, Gunn, Wesley, and Lorne were getting ready, putting on their tuxedos. Angel volunteered to get dressed early to help the children get dressed and then supervise the caterers and set up crew that were redecorating the hotel into a wedding and reception hall. Spike, trying to stay out of Robin's way just for one day, opted to picking up the guests coming in from out of town. 

He had been driving since the night before to avoid the sunlight. According to the calculations Wesley made, they should be here any minute.

Robin had chosen Gunn as his best man and had asked Lorne and Wesley to be his ushers. He would've asked Angel, but Faith had already asked Angel to walk her down the aisle. She didn't have a father, so she thought that her "brother" would be the perfect substitute. Robin had still not felt comfortable enough to ask Spike to be in the wedding party, so Spike's job was pretty much to pick up the guests then try to stay out of the way. 

The men, dressed and groomed properly walked down the stairs to view the provisions Angel allowed for the wedding. Robin sucked in a quick breath. "Wow. Angel, the place looks great. It almost doesn't look like the same place. I love what they did with the flowers. And the lights…it looks like sunlight in here, even though there isn't a spec of it or you'd be dust right now. I'm impressed. Thank you, Angel. I didn't think that you'd go this far for me, for my wedding."

"Oh. Don't worry; I didn't do it for you. This is all for Faith. She deserves it; she's earned it. I'm just doing this for her so that she will be happy. I'm doing this so that Nicky can have a 'normal' family. I haven't forgotten all the arguments that you two have. She must love you an awful lot to even consider marrying you, so if you do ANYTHING to hurt her or Nicky or make her regret her decision, I'm going to rip your spine out." Angel got right in his face, "Ok? Well, now that we've had this talk, congratulations."  

Robin paled at Angel's speech. He had almost forgotten how protective Angel was of Faith and Nicky. He thought of her as his sister and they always helped each other in the quest for redemption. Even though Angel threatened him, he knew that he could never do anything to hurt his wife or child. He loved them, he'd rather cut off a limb than hurt them in anyway. Deep in thought, he didn't notice as three whirlwinds ran up and almost knocked him over. 

"Daddy. Uncle Robin. Uncle Robin," they cried out, "Look at us." 

Connor and Nicky stood proud in their mini-tuxedos, still pulling at their collars, even though Angel begged them to stop. Robin smiled at the site of his son and "nephew". They were adorable. 

Cathy peaked out behind her big brother, "Uncle Robin, do you like my dress? Lorne said I looked like a princess." 

Robin gave all of them a peck on the check. "You all look great. You boys look like gentlemen. And Cathy, Lorne was right. You do look like a princess." 

He took a deep breath, "Ok. Are the guests all here? Are the girls ready to go?"

"Almost, I just talked to Fred; she said that Faith is ready. So is Cordy. We are just waiting for Spike to arrive with the guests although I can't image what's taking so long," Wesley explained.

Just as Angel was getting ready to pull out the cell phone that he'd end up destroying eventually to call Spike, he walked through the door, blanket over his head and leading the guests through the door. 

Buffy Summers, Dawn Summers, Rupert Giles, Xander Harris, Willow Rosenberg, and Willow's girlfriend, Kennedy walked through the door. Remarkably, they were all dressed and ready for Faith's wedding.

"Welcome. Come in." Angel invited. "Wow, you ladies look wonderful." He nodded to Harris. 

Buffy took a moment to talk with Angel and Robin, while the others quickly got to a seat. "I'm sorry that we're a little late. We had to take a slight detour on the way to pick up the gifts." 

"It's not a problem. I'm very glad that you could make it. Faith will be so excited. She wasn't expecting you all. She didn't think that you'd get here in time from Europe. Well, I hope that you enjoy yourself."

Spike, with Buffy on his arm, escorted her into the hall. Buffy was slightly shocked at how many people were in the hotel. "Spike, who are all these people? I didn't think that Faith and Robin had that many friends. Not to sound negative or anything."

"Well, some of them are friends. The couple over there by the flowers, they are Nicky's friend Tyler's parents. The others are clients that Angel Investigations think highly of. In one way or another, most of them are the people that Faith and Robin have saved over the years."

Buffy seemed awestruck. Spike lead her to a seat, then sat beside her, holding her hand and wishing that she didn't have to stay in Europe with the other slayers. Buffy seemed to think the same thing. She looked at him with promising eyes, that one day they would be together. Spike leaned in close to kiss her, when a shriek stopped him. He turned to see Dawn jumping up and down in the seat next to him. "This is so exciting. It's so pretty. I want my wedding to be this pretty. I can't wait to see Faith's dress. And Cordy. I haven't seen her since she left Sunnydale. I so want to hang with her, she definitely knows how to shop…" Dawn kept rambling. 

Angel went upstairs to tell the ladies that they were ready to start. He gently knocked on the door. Cordy had opened it. If Angel had breath, it would've left him. Cordy looked like a goddess in her cream dress. Her hair was cut short, off her neck, and she was smiling at him. "You look wonderful. Are you sure that you're not the one getting married?" That got him a smack on the arm. "No, I'm being serious now. You look stunning, absolutely beautiful. I'm so thankful that we're already married, or I'd kill anyone who looked your way. Although, now I think that I might just do that anyway." 

"Angel…" Cordy sighed, "I love you." She kissed him softly. "Are you boys ready to go?" A nod in return. "Okay. Faith, Fred," she called, "it's time to start." 

Angel returned down to the hall in order to keep up with the modern wedding traditions that he heard so much about recently. Plus, the girls wanted Faith's dress to be a surprise. He nodded to Robin, Gunn, Wesley, and Lorne to get into their positions. Then he looked at the flower girl and her escort. Angel kneeled down, "Ok, Cathy, Connor, you both know what to do, right? Connor you hold onto your sister's arm and walk in that step that we practiced until you get to Uncle Robin. Then you stand on his side until I sit down, then you can sit down with me okay. You too, Cathy. Except you have the very important job of throwing the flowers, okay?" They both nodded, having practiced this many times with tissues and a tape player. "Ok. Nicky, you walk behind them and hold the rings on the pillow, okay. When they ask for the rings, you just hold up the pillow. You still have the rings, right? Okay, good." 

He heard the clip-ty clap of ladies shoes as they made their way down the stairs. Cordy walked in front, as the nominated matron of honor, Fred behind her as maid of honor, then the bride herself. Angel swallowed. "Wow. You all look stunning and radiant. Faith," he kissed her on the check, "You look gorgeous." Her eyes shimmered happily tearing. 

"Thank you, Angel. I'm so happy. Thank you so much for this. When I was a little girl, I never really dreamed of my wedding like other girls, I didn't think that I could love anyone that much. But I did, and now I have the most perfect wedding that I never dreamed would happen." 

The music signaled the start of the wedding march. He nodded to Connor and Cathy to go. Their practice paid off. They marched perfect. Cordy, bouquet in hand, walked behind them, followed by Fred, who wore a stunning red wine colored dress. The music changed slightly, and the guests rose to honor the bride. Faith arm and arm with Angel, held her head up high and walked to meet her new husband at the alter. Their son, Nicky walked behind them. As she walked down the aisle, she was surprised to say the least at the guests that had arrived from Europe. Buffy stood, smiling at her. She smiled back, realizing that the two of them were no longer enemies, but good friends. 

She and Robin had opted not to have a priest, or any crosses, etc. in the ceremony to keep from hurting Angel and Spike. A clerk from City Hall had been paid to marry them. The ceremony itself was very traditional, keeping with the traditional, "'til death do you part vows." 

Faith was floating around, when she'd heard the clerk ask her for her response. She looked at her husband, smiling brightly, "I do." He held her hands and uttered the same words, "I do." 

The clerk finished it with, "You may now kiss the bride." The kiss that they shared could have lasted lifetimes. 

And it did.

To be continued…Chapter 3: Meet the Parents

(Don't worry. I'm just getting started with this series. If you have any suggestions for the next couple chapters, just email me and let me know.)


	2. Chapter 3: Meet the parents

**Fast Forward **

**Chapter 3**

**By: Sensue**

_Timeline: Ok. It continues from Chapters 1-2, Faith's Wedding was on Saturday, so cleanup was all day on Sunday. After the reception, Faith and Robin left for their two week honeymoon in Hawaii. They left their son, Nicky with his (god) Mommy Cordy and Uncle Angel to baby-sit until they got back. It is now Monday morning. It's a new work week at Angel Investigations._

**Chapter 3: Meet the Parents.**

Well, it was a long, but fun weekend. On Saturday, Faith's wedding was a hit. Everything was perfect, no demons or vampires, except those who were invited, crashed the wedding. It was truly a special day that no one would forget. Sunday, however on the other hand, was extremely exhausting. No one could believe the mess that the guests made. There was food everywhere, even in places that you would never expect to find it, like in a pillow case. Clean up was hard, since they were down Faith and Robin, who now were on their wonderful two week honeymoon in the warm and beautiful state of Hawaii. 

Everyone pitched in though, even the children. Nicky, Connor, and Cathy helped clean up the waste baskets, the dusting, and picking up the trash that littered the floor. Gunn and Fred had to go to the supermarket to buy extra strength cleansers, sprays, and soap along with the extra cloths, mops, and brooms. Lorne, unfortunately, had to go to his club; He needed to write the schedule for the next week, and pass out the employees' checks. 

Angel fixed them all a good and hearty breakfast, and then they all got started on the cleaning "fun". Cordy mopped the floors. Fred scrubbed the counters. Gunn vacuumed the staircase, hallways, and bedrooms. They had no idea how the guests got to the bedrooms while the reception was still roaring, but they sure didn't want to know what they were doing in there. Wesley opted to doing the laundry; including taking their tuxedos back to the shop, dry cleaning the ladies dresses, and folding and ironing over seven loads of laundry that had accumulated during the week. Angel took care of the kitchen claiming that if they tried to help him, he would never find out where they put anything. 

Spike spent Saturday night driving the "Scooby Gang" back to the airport and waiting for their, of course delayed, flight to arrive. After he had wished everyone a safe journey, and kissed Buffy goodbye, he had made his way back to the hotel. He didn't want to sleep like the others because he was still awake from the excitement of the day and, in all honestly, was a little depressed over Buffy's departure, so he spent the night patrolling the areas around the hotel to see if anyone had needed any help. He arrived back to the hotel about twenty minutes before sunrise; then he decided to take a short nap before the others and the children awoke. 

By the time he woke, the majority of the cleaning was underway. He ended up taking care of the children and "helping" them with their chores. After they had cleaned up what they were assigned to, they decided that they would make Faith and Robin a 'Welcome Home' banner for when they came home. They set up the kitchen counter with poster-board and paints. Spike helped write the outlined letters that the children would fill in with finger paints. Their project was a fun one that the other adults wanted to help with. Soon glitter pens, magic markers, balls of yarn, and construction paper made their way down to the counter for the children to use.

Cordy had left the hotel around 5:00 pm for a self-appointed "cleaning break." She came back about an hour later with bags of food for lunch time. She ordered all to the dinning area, because the kitchen was already taken over by the poster makers, for a not-so-healthy dinner. Hey, it was okay to splurge sometimes and they had been working awful hard all day. She had brought all kinds of food: tacos, burgers, salads, Chinese food, blood for Spike and Angel, subs of all different varieties, and even _a blooming onion_. 

They all chose their favorite foods to fill up on and then took a coffee/tea break for an hour. They were almost done cleaning the hotel, there were only small areas that needed a little more work. 

Soon, the sun had gone down and it was time for the kids to sleep. So, Cordy took the little bits up to their rooms. Cathy had her own room, next to her brother's, of course. Her bedroom was practically a shrine to the Disney™ Princesses. Everything in the room was pink and had crowns of the various princesses. Her daughter's favorite princesses were Belle, from Beauty and the Beast, and Ariel, from the Little Mermaid, so the pictures, figurines, and dolls of those characters were plentiful. Cordy had even gone so far to purchase the entire set of mini-snow globes of the princesses at the local Disney Store for Cathy on her sixth birthday. So Cathy was put in her pink princess bed and sung to sleep while the boys played for a little while in Connor's room. 

Cordy then crossed the hall to Connor's room. She gently knocked on the door, and then opened it to find Connor and Nicky playing with Connor's extensive collection of Hot Wheels™ cars. The boys, all of the boys, seemed to love those cars. Every week, if Connor was good, of course, a new car would show up magically on his desk. Last Christmas, Santa just knew that Connor wanted the race track and battery powered garage set. Connor loved playing with his cars just as much as he loved playing hockey outside after dinner with his dad, Nicky, and Uncle Charlie (Gunn). 

Nicky had his room on the other side of the hotel on a different floor with his parents. Since his parents weren't home, though, it was decided that the boys would have a 'sleep over' until they got back. It was safer that way. Nicky loved playing with his cousin's cars, but didn't really want to keep them. He's an active boy, like Connor, but wasn't as interested in cars, sports, and violence as other boys his age though. In a way, Nicky was closer to his Uncle Wesley than any of the other Uncles in his family. He loved to climb on his uncle's lap while he was read stories about magic, witches, and demons. He started reading before any of the other children, even in his class. By the time he was four, he could read a second grade book. If it was a choice between a really cool book or a toy, Nicky would 100% choose the book. His room had a large bookshelf that contained all of his favorite books. He also love dinosaurs and astronomy. He had a toy chest full of every type of dinosaur figurine that existed. His dad would always find a new one to buy him. His mom, though, she really surprised him on his birthday last year. While he was in kindergarten class one day, he came home from school to find his room covered with glow-in-the-dark stars, in the actual shape of constellations. He was so happy that his mom, with the help of his Uncle Angel, had spent so much time getting it perfect. 

The boys looked up from making car noises to see Mommy Cordy pointing at the bed and sleeping bag. "Okay, boys, time to go to bed. You've all got school tomorrow morning. And I don't want to hear any complaints in the morning. If you're all good tomorrow, after school, I'll take you to the park. Okay?"

"The park…Yay. Thank you, Mommy Cordy," Nicky cheered.

While the 'little bits' slept, the rest of the work was finished. Fortunately, it was just in time because a client walked through the door asking for help. A young lady, who was in tattered clothes, came in practically in tears, complaining that there was some sort of a demon that was following her, trying to kill her. Fred consoled the woman, bringing her a blanket and a warm drink, while Wesley wrote down the description of the demon that was following her. He looked in a few reference books and was able to find out that it was a Horkle Demon. That race of demons was notorious for stalking their victims until they killed them. Angel asked her some questions about why she thought the demon was after her and then promised that they would do their best to stop it. 

Gunn was asked to escort her home and stay there in case she was attacked. Spike was assigned to ask around and see if any of their informants knew anything about the Horkle. Wesley was to stay and research everything about its weaknesses so that Angel Investigations could stop it. The others called it a night and went to bed. 

The next morning, Cordy and Fred woke up early to get the children ready for school. Fred packed their lunches and Cordy brushed their hair and picked out their clothes. The three were indeed grumbling about having to get up and go to school, but neither woman was listening. They were all dressed, feed, and then taken outside to wait for the bus to pick them up. About ten minutes later, the bus pulled away and the children were happily talking to their friends on the bus on the way to school. 

Cordy yawned as she walked back into the hotel. "Fred, I'm so exhausted from cleaning yesterday. I'm so sore that I can't even move my arms to scratch my nose. I think I'm going to go back to bed. Could you do me a favor and just check up on Wesley? You know, see if he needs any coffee or help with anything. Also remind him that he needs to sleep sometime. Okay?"

"Sure, Cordy. I'm pretty much awake now. I might as well help Wesley with his research. I could probably speed things up too, by looking it up online. Well, good night, Cordy. Hope you feel better." 

Cordy walked up the stairs with a smile on her face. Yup, she still had it. She'd get those two together faster than she'd expected. 

"Good morning, Wesley. How's the research going?"

"Oh. Fred, I hadn't noticed the time. How'd you sleep? Well, I hope." 

"I slept great. Thank you. Did you need any coffee or anything? I was going to get a cup before I started helping you."

"Sure, a cup of coffee sounds like heaven right now. I did find a little information on the demon but nothing to help us hunt it down, I'm afraid. I wonder how Charles is doing at Miss Gregg's home. I haven't heard from him yet, oh well, it's still early. I'll give him another half hour then call his cell phone." Wesley was getting into his leadership role very well. He was gaining confidence and self-esteem that his decisions were correct and that the others trusted them. Angel, again, was appointed the leader of their group, with Cordelia as his second and Wesley, the leader after them. But Cordy didn't often want to take that role, instead allowing Wesley to be the second, only stepping in as leader when absolutely necessary. This allowed some her some flexibility with being a mother, wife, secretary, self appointed accountant, and PTBs seer. 

Fred came back into the room, handing Wesley his cup of coffee, accidentally brushing their hands. Wesley looked into her eyes; She stared back at him. Soon they were leaning towards each other… 

Ding. Ding. 

They quickly pulled back, both turning a shade of red. "Well, I guess we have some clients," Fred prattled. 

"Yes. I'll go see if we can help them. If you don't mind, could you please just move the books off the desk and chairs so that I could bring them into the office? Also, if you could make some more coffee, please?" 

"Sure, Wes. I can do that." Fred ran off. 

Wesley took a deep breath. He walked out of the office to see a wealthy looking couple by the main counter. Wesley offered his hand, "Hello. Welcome to Angel Investigations. My name is Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. Is there anything that I can help you folks with today?"

The man shook his hand. "Yes. Actually Mr. Pryce. My wife and I are actually looking for our daughter. We haven't seen her in…how many years has it been, dear?"

The woman's hand near her head in concentration, "It has to be at least ten years. My poor baby. We didn't even know where she moved. We thought that she'd still be living back home. My husband and I had moved to Switzerland and left my daughter at her grandmother's. We actually stopped by my mother's house, thinking that she was still living there, but my mother hasn't even seen her in ten years either. She told me that she said that she was moving to L.A. Well, this was such a shock. I had no idea."

"Ok. Well, why don't you step into my office? Then, you can tell me about your daughter and the last time you saw her." Wesley pointed the way into his office. Fred was just coming back from the kitchen, coffee tray in hand. "This is my associate, Winifred Burkle, she's going to be helping us with the case."

"Hello, would you like some coffee?" 

"That would be wonderful dear. Thank you." The woman was very polite and gave off a fragile poise or aura, yet her eyes denied all weakness.  

"Well, then what can you tell us about your daughter?" Wesley asked, his notebook ready to record down the details. 

"Well, she was head of the cheerleading squad in high school. She also wanted to be an actress. Wasn't she Queen of the Prom or something, dear? Oh. No matter, umm, she's a brunette, she has curly hair, and she's as tall as my wife."

As the man described his daughter, Wesley thought. _This man obviously doesn't know a thing about her. How are we going to find an actress wannabe in LA? While he was thinking this, he heard footsteps down the stairs indicating that Angel and Cordy were up and ready to work. He knew that Angel had no doubt heard the entire conversation with his "super hearing" that everyone made fun of from time to time._

"Oh. Well, that was helpful…what about her name?" Angel peaked his head through the doorway and nodded at Wesley. He stood at the door frame listening in. 

"Her name is Cordelia Chase." 

Angel slipped off the doorframe and fell to the ground. The other had shocked expressions on their faces. Cordy had gone to the kitchen for some coffee and was walking back to see the clients when she saw her husband on the ground.

She yelled, "Angel. Oh my god. Are you okay?" She ran by his side thinking that the clients were evil or something or trying to kill her husband. She looked up to see if Wesley and Fred were okay, she saw their expressions then looked over at the last people she ever expected to see again. Her parents. 

"Cordelia. Oh, My. You're here. We were just going to hire this nice man to find you. How are you, my darling?" Cordelia's mom kissed her on the cheek. 

"Mother, Daddy. What are you doing here? I mean, how did you find me? I mean, how are you?" Cordy sounded confused. 

"Hello, sweetheart. How's my little girl? We just wanted to visit to see how you were doing. You didn't tell us you were moving to LA. We thought that you were still at your grandmother's. So what are you doing here? At a detective agency?"

"Well, I work here."

"What? You work here? Do you need money, sweetheart? There's no need to do menial labor. You're a Chase." Her father seemed offended. 

"Um. Actually, she's n…" Fred tried to interject, but was stopped with a hand over her mouth by Wesley.

"Daddy, Mother, I work here because I love it here. It's my job. I love helping people…" they didn't even let her finish.

"But, Cordelia, it's public servitude. How can you like that? Oh, dear…I think that I need to lie down now. I'm getting faint." 

"Mrs. Chase, let me help you," Angel got off of the floor to help Cordelia's mother to a chair. "I know this is a little unexpected. My name is Angel." 

"Oh. I'm Victoria Chase and this is my husband Morgan." 

Angel looked at his wife for a clue as to how to react. She looked back and then nodded once. _Yes. I'll tell them_. 

"Ok. Daddy, why don't you sit next to mother? I have something I want to tell you. First of all, I want you to know that I've never been happier in my life then right now, with my friends and family. No, please don't interrupt me," she held up a hand, "This is my family. I've lived in LA for ten years. I'm not the same person that you remember. Things have happened that have changed my life."

"We understand, sweetheart. You've met someone, right? You're going to marry a nice rich man, aren't you? You're just playing the 'I'm a poor secretary' line, aren't you?" Victoria Chase seemed to like her ideas. She smiled, knowing her daughter would never like to live like a middle class peasant. 

"Mother, please. Would you just listen?" Just as Cordy was getting ready to announce her marriage and children to her parents, the back door opened and Spike came in, with the head of a Horkle. 

"Hello, luvs. Guess what I bagged? It was a hard fight, but the bloody bastard had it coming scaring that girl like that." He walked over then saw that they had company. "Oh. Have we got a new case? I'm in the mood to kick demon arse. So is it tough? Scary? A Big Bad? What?" 

Fred grabbed Spike's arm and pulled him over by Cordy's desk. Then she whispered something in his ear. He straightened up, "Oh. You can just forget what I just said. I was just joking. Really, I didn't mean demon like a monster or anything. I meant Demon Gang…there's a bloody gang in LA called the Demons. That right. A bloody street gang." 

"Well, this seems like such a dangerous city. Cordelia, why did you leave Sunnydale? You were perfectly safe living there with your grandmother." Spike snorted. Fred elbowed him in the side. "I just don't understand you anymore. What happened to my sensible girl?" Morgan Chase lectured. 

"Ok. That's enough. Father, I moved here to find a purpose in life. And I did. My purpose, my reason for existence is here. Now. I want to introduce you to my family, if you'd give me a chance." Cordy took a deep breath, "ok. First of all, the one in the leather jacket who was joking with you earlier is Spike, you've already met Fred and Wesley, and this is Angel. Angel is my husband. We've been married for five years. We also have two children. You have grandchildren. A boy and a girl. Connor and Cathy."

Morgan Chase looked as if he would have an aneurysm right then and there. It only took the word grandchildren for her mother to faint dead away. Her mother was always dramatic. She had the universe convinced that she had chronic fatigue syndrome. Cordelia knew though that the only problem her mother had was an alcohol problem. In high school, her mother could have beat Xander Harris's entire family hands down in a drinking contest. She always blamed it on stress. Her mother was always stressed; over everything, including cooking, cleaning, watching her daughter, the tax problem, and anything else she could complain about. Anything that she could use as an excuse to drink. Cordy always felt bad about her mother's drinking, at first blaming herself for her disease, then realizing that it was her mother's problem, not hers. There was nothing to be done to stop it if her mother didn't want to. Her father didn't care. He thought that it was normal to have a wife that did nothing but drink and pass out all the time.

Her father took in a breath that usually signaled that the bellowing was about to begin. She was right. "What the hell is wrong with you? You got married to a PI? You could've been the wife of a senator, of a CEO, of anyone else in the world, but a public servant! You could've married the Englishman, I wouldn't have complained. At least he's dignified. Not only did you marry 'Angel', you have children. How do you expect to get a clean divorce, if you have children?" (Poor Wesley turned beat red.) 

"Daddy, I don't want a divorce. I'm happily married. I love my husband and my children and if you have a problem with it you can just leave. I won't talk to you ever again. If you can accept my decisions and my family, then, ONLY then, will I allow you to see my children. I won't have you yelling at them or upsetting my family. Make your decision, NOW! Or Leave!"

"Well, I can see that there is no talking any sense into you. I'll accept your decision, but I don't have to be happy that you've ruined your life with this man. He's not anything. He's not influential, powerful, or rich. I just can't believe that you'd settle for a nobody who lives in an abandoned hotel."

"He's not a nobody. He's a hero, he saves lives for a living. He's wonderful and he loves me. And this is our home. I don't want to hear any more. So you can stop the name calling."

Her mother, a hand over her face, breathed, "Oh dear. I had no idea that your life had changed this much. I want to meet my grandchildren, so you can ignore your father; He'll get over it soon. Where are the little babies?"

"Mother, they aren't babies anymore. They're five years old, they're in school. They'll come home around three o'clock. I would be happy for you to meet them." 

Her parents looked at each other. "Okay, darling. We could do that. Your father and I are going to go to our hotel so that I can rest, then we'll come back later tonight. Perhaps in time for dinner?"

"That'll be fine mother. We'll see you tonight." 

The others watched them leave the hotel. Cordy looked at her family. "Shit. This is not going to go well. I'm screwed. They are never going to understand. They don't even know about demons. What am I going to say, oh…guess what I'm Angel's link to the Powers that Be, oh. Yah, by the way, I'm part demon now. Oh. How about my husband is a Vampire, but don't worry he's got a soul."

Angel just looked at her and hugged her. "What am I going to wear?"

"What? I've just told you that my parents are going to freak out and you ask me 'what am I going to wear?' Are you nuts? What about the children? What about Lorne? What about Spike? God, we're screwed. Oh. My God. What about dinner?" 

Angel smiled, "I know just what to do. Don't worry. Everything will be just fine. You just concentrate on dressing for dinner and picking something out for the kids to wear. I'll take care of dinner and the rest. Trust me, What's the worst that can happen?"

"Oh. Boy. You just did it now, peaches. You've bloody cursed yourself, for sure. It's going to be a disaster now." 

Spike shook his head at his grandsire. "Don't worry Spike. You're going to help. You all are going to help. This is going to be the best dinner we've ever had. And you know why? Because I'll kill anything and anyone that ruins it. Got it? Good. Now let's get started."

Chapter 4: Dinner from H-E- double hockey stick. (coming soon)

_Don't worry it's just getting good. I'm not going to stop now._


	3. Chapter 4: Dinner from HELL

_Disclaimer:_**I don't own Angel: the series or any of its characters, as always. I do own, however, the characters of Cathy Lucy Angel and Nicholas Wood. **

_Rating_: PG- 13 or TV-14. (Same as the series, no better, no worse.)

_Pairings_: Angel/Cordy, Wesley/Fred, Gunn/OC, and Faith/Robin (but they're on a honeymoon)****

_Note_: My sister, when reading my stories, constantly complains that they are all angst and romance, no conflict or problems, except funny ones what so ever. It's taken some time, but I've put in a conflict (an EVIL one) that will finally solve my Connor problem. Also please just go with the flow, there is a section that doesn't  correspond with the time period I've selected in my stories, but just accept it. It makes the story more exciting.

  
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**Fast Forward**

**By: Sensue**

**January 3, 2004**

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**Chapter 4: Dinner from H-E- double hockey stick**.

_Hyperion Hotel (Cordy's bedroom) ~__1:00 pm___

"Oh, God. Why today? Why now? You know what; I wish for my parents to go away and never come back." Cordy took a moment to look around, "Hey, I said I wish for my parents to go away and never come back! God! Where's a Vengeance Demon when you need one? I'm sorry a 'Justice' Demon. Please, I promise I'll never wish for anything else. Damn." She paced around in her and her husband's bedroom. 

She took a breath, "Oh. God, what the hell am I going to wear? I don't know what to wear, or say for that matter. Uhh. Ok Cordy. Just breath, it can't be that bad. Oh yeah right, It's going to be the night from HELL! Uhh." Cordy rummaged through her extensive closet, throwing out items that she thought she might wear. Soon clothes were everywhere. 

A knock at the door jarred her from her destruction. A voice called out, "Cordy, do you need any help? 'Cause Angel and Spike kicked me out of the kitchen and told me to see if you needed anything. Also, did you want me and the others to stay during dinner? 'Cause if you want us to leave you with your family, we could." 

"Fred, of course, I want you all to stay. You're my family. Not them. I haven't even talked to them in ten years. TEN YEARS, Fred! God, I don't know what to say to them. What do we talk about?"

"Umm.  Well start off introducing them to everyone; this time including the kids. Then we could have dinner and talk about…I got it, the economy. 'Cause your parents are rich and like to talk about money. Then after we eat, we could talk about the nice weather we're having. Then we could talk about the horrible things happening in other countries. 'Cause we don't want to tell them about the horrible things happening in LA. Then we could talk about golf, cause boys like that stuff. And then…"

  
"Ok, Fred. I get it. Small talk them until they leave. I can do that. Not a problem there. In all honesty, I'm worried about the children. I mean, they've never even thought about grandparents and, completely out of the blue, they show up and want to meet them. I know my father, what if he can't get over my marriage and says something to hurt their feelings or rejects them. Oh, boy. I don't think that they could stand to be rejected. They've never met anyone like my parents. They are so selfish and shallow. They only care about themselves. God. I'm describing myself in high school. This has got to be some kind of payback for my Bitchy days. What about Angel? I love him. I won't have them say anything about him. He's the man-pire I want. The one I want to spend the rest of my life with. And what about my mother, she's an alcoholic. I know how bad that she can get. I mean, I never let anyone into my house in case she was completely bonkers. She actually seems better today, but who knows what'll happen when they reach the hotel mini-bar. She could come to dinner drunk. She gets mean when she drinks. She gets jealous. Always jealous. One time she tried to cut my hair off because she thought it looked better than hers. My father came home finding her chasing me with scissors and stopped her. I mean I had to tell everyone that she had chronic fatigue syndrome or something stupid like that. And on the days she wasn't drunk, she acted like she was dying of a terminal illness in front of guests. Like she's frail and weak. God, is she anything but. She can go berserk, like throw end tables across the room on a bad trip…" She stopped talking abruptly. 

"Boy, princess. If I were you, I would've just killed them and be done with it back in the day. Not even bother with the nice-nice. They don't deserve it if they've upset you that much." Spike was leaning against the bedroom doorway and eavesdropping on Cordy's ranting and raving. "I don't know how you turned out so well. First they dump you by yourself in Sunny-hell, they stop you from going to Harvard Medical, they leave you to fend for yourself in LA, and on top of that don't bother to call you in over ten years. If they were my parents, I wouldn't even let them in the front door. But you're giving them a second chance. I hope that they deserve it, luv."

"William, I'm just stressing. They're not that bad. They could be worse. You must think I'm a spoiled Cry-Buffy. Crying over my poor, poor life. I'm not, I swear, I've never been happier. They only thing that would make my life perfect would be that my parents respect my choices and accept my family. All of you. Including the two of you. I just don't think that they'll be ready to meet Lorne just yet."

"Oh. Don't worry. I've already got that covered, Cordy. I called Lorne at Caritas and told him to make himself sparse for the next couple of days. I explained the situation to him and he understands completely. Not to worry. Nothing is going to go wrong tonight."

"FRED! You just jinxed us. Tonight is doomed for sure."

"That's just superstition. You can't get jinxed. There is no scientific evidence other than psychological that a jinx is real."

"Fred, luv. We've lived in Sunnyhell. Trust me when I tell you, yes you can be jinxed. It has happened so many times, I can't even count them." Spike explained, all the while shaking his head at the foolishness of youth.

"OK. I've got to get dressed now. Which one of these outfits do you both like better?" Cordy held out three dresses. 

Wolfram and Hart Law Offices (1:37 pm) 

"Now, Mr. Chase. Do you understand what the deal is? If you don't accomplish your end of the deal, then the deal is cancelled. And so are you. But I know that you're a smart businessman who understands the important work that we do here at Wolfram and Hart. How the kind of business that we do can make or break a reputation. So, do we have a deal?" Lindsay McDonald reached out his prosthetic hand.

The hand that grasped his _hand_ was strong and firm; at least that's what Lindsay assumed. "Yes. We have a deal. My wife will be very happy with this deal. We both want only what's best for my little girl. And marriage to that slime-bag is not one of them. Well do what you asked, but only if you guarantee that my daughter will forget all about her love to 'Angel.' What the hell kind of name is that anyway? Is he Hispanic? God, an immigrant. That's just what the Chase family needs in the family tree. What the hell was she thinking marrying that man; she could've married a politician or someone with power. Instead, she throws it all away for 'love'. I could strangle her. I told her more than once to get her head out of the sky. She's a woman; not that women can't do the work a man can, but she's not made for that. She's a pretty girl who can control any man with sex. Why would she waste that on a Private investigator? Well, she's not going to be in a happy little family anymore. She'll understand some day." Morgan Chase finalized the deal. Signing his name on the documents placed in front of him. 

It was funny though, this law firm. It was the first law office that he'd ever entered that required a blood draw to drug test its clients before they made any deals. The lawyers themselves were very professional. This Lindsay McDonald seemed the kind of young man destined for success. Already he made junior partner in less than five years. One day he could even be a senior partner. THIS was the kind of man that he wanted his Cordy to marry. This was the kind of man that he could trust. If only he wasn't a Handicap. 

He thought of all this as he signed the documents with the pen Mr. McDonald offered him. At first he signed a letter, then stopped midway. "Lindsay, this pen has red ink. Do you have another?"

"Oh. No Mr. Chase. We have all of our clients sign in red ink. It's sort of a Wolfram and Hart signiture. We can always tell which documents belong to our company if everyone signs in red ink. It makes the paperwork a little easier to sort and it definitely binds our clients to us for life. Haha. You know, it helps people remember us."

"Well, your company better be as good as I've heard. Or I'll be one upset man. I'm risking a lot for this deal and I expect a great return in the future."

"I understand Mr. Chase, the future will definitely be changed, for the better, if the deal goes through as planned. You don't have to worry about anything but having a wonderful dinner at your daughter's tonight. Oh. Do me a favor, after the plan goes down, call Angel on the way back to Wolfram and Hart, and tell him I said 'hello'. Trust me, he'll get a kick out of it. Since we're such good friends and all. Oh, and one last thing, the little girl, Cathy, I think that's her name. You and your wife shouldn't touch her. That's the ONLY rule that can't be broken," Morgan Chase looked as he would object, "No there is no discussion to this matter. Do NOT touch her, or your daughter for that matter, tonight, or the entire plan will fall apart before it is started."

Morgan had a puzzled look on his face, unable to understand why he shouldn't touch his daughter or granddaughter. But he accepted it, "Well, alright. A deal's a deal. I'll go get my wife. Where is she by the way? Still talking to that Lila Morgan woman? God, those women can gab. Have a good night. My wife and I will be back later tonight. Thank you for all of your help, Mr. McDonald. I can only hope that my daughter will meet someone as accomplished as you in your young age."

As Morgan Chase exited his office, Lindsay smiled, looking at his prosthetic arm, "Hope you enjoy your warm family dinner tonight, Angel. It'll be your last." 

_Back at the Hyperion_ _(__2:30 pm__)_

While Angel and Wesley cluttered around in the kitchen making dinner, the door flung open to the Hyperion allowing entrance to Nicholas Wood, Connor Angel, and Cathy Lucy Angel. The children ran down the small steps and into the 'work area' of the hotel to find their mother. They looked behind the counter at Cordy's desk; nope, mom wasn't back there.

Connor took in a large deep breath, all the better to scream 'MOM' with, and just as he was starting to speak; got cut off by Gunn walking through the door as well. "ANGEL! WES! I'm back!" Gunn shouted, "where are 'ya? Have I got a story to tell 'ya or what." 

"We're back here," was the return shout by Wesley, "making dinner."

As Gunn walked past the large circle couch in the middle of the lobby, he spotted the kids. " Hey, squirts. How was school? Learned lots of cool stuff today?"

Cathy quickly jumped in, as the talkative one, describing every second of her day in school, all the while excited to tell her parents too. They'd be so happy to learn that she now was the jump-rope champion of the class. Why she even got a metal to put up. Nicky and Connor smiled at her, already having heard her stories on the bus and knowing that they'll hear them at least twice more throughout the day, but hey, they loved their sister. 

As she talked, they all went into the kitchen with the two men "slaving over a hot stove for hours," as Wesley and Angel complained. Gunn was also excited to tell about his news. He couldn't believe that HE, Charles Gunn, was going to go out with that gorgeous woman. The only problem seemed that he wouldn't get to tell anyone about it tonight. Everyone had their own stories to tell. 

"What'cha makin' for dinner, Uncle Angel and Uncle Wes? Is it hamburgers? I love hamburgers and French fries," as Nicky's eyes shown with hope for his favorite meal.

"Sorry, Nicky. We're having roast beef, mashed potatoes, yams, homemade chicken vegetable soup, and apple pie for desert though. Doesn't that sound good?" Angel kneeled down to ask his favorite nephew. 

"It sounds good, but hamburgers are definitely a winner in this house." Nicky said very seriously.

The adults had smiles on their faces. The children were definitely cute. "Nicky, Cathy, Connor, let's sit down for a second. I have some news to tell you all."

Connor jumped in, "Oh, no. We're going to have another baby, aren't we? This is the same as the 'We're going to give you a little brother or sister' speech, isn't it?"

"What? No, we're no going to have a baby. You get to meet someone that you've never met before. This morning your mom's parents stopped by to see your mom. They didn't even know that they had grandkids and now that they do; they really want to meet you all. What do you kids say about that? Do you want to meet your grandma and grandpa?" Angel asked, hoping that they wouldn't have a problem accepting it.

"They're mommy's mommy and daddy?" Cathy asked. She looked worried. They all knew she was worried because she was playing with her hair. "What if they don't like us? What if they don't like me? Where's mommy? I want mommy."

Angel went over to her and picked her up. He pulled up a chair and sat in it, pulling his five year old daughter in his lap, then waved Nicky and Connor over so that they could also snuggle. Nicky chose to sit on Angel's other lap, while Connor pulled the other chair across from Angel's so that their knees could touch. They put their heads together in the old family secret tradition. "Mommy is upstairs in our room making herself look really pretty for tonight. I don't want you to worry, any of you. Your grandparents will LOVE you. They'll take one look at you and fall in love. You're wonderful kids; if your grandparents don't see that then they're really blind. Anyway, tonight all we are going to do is have a delicious dinner and talk to them. If you don't like them or get bored listening to us talk, just look at me and point to the stairs. If I nod, then you can excuse yourselves and go play in your rooms, but only if I say okay. Okay?"

The three heads nodded. "Okay, Daddy. Okay, Uncle Angel."

"Okay. Now run upstairs and put on your NICE clothes for dinner. If you need help, mommy is in her room. She'll help you. Me, Uncle Wes, and Uncle Charles will be down here getting the table ready for dinner. Uncle Spike and Aunt Fred are with your mom. Okay?"

"'kay." They shouted as the elephant herd stampeded up the stairs and to their respective rooms to change for dinner. On the way up they ran into Mommy, Uncle Will and Aunt Fred coming out of mommy and daddy's room. Cordy gave each child a kiss on the head as they ran past. William gave them a pat on the head and Fred a warm smile.

"Well, I guess Angel told them the news. Well, as a famous actress said one day, 'hang on this is going to be a bumpy flight' or 'ride', I can't remember which, but you know what I mean. This is the day from HELL!"

"At least you picked out a pretty dress, Cordy. That's one thing you don't have to worry about," Fred encouraged, "But there's really no reason to worry. Your parents are going to love the children and they'll learn to love Angel. Everything will be perfect tonight." 

"I hope that you're right, Fred." 

Cordy let Fred and William past her. She lingered for a minute, taking in a deep breath; she closed her eyes, and then reopened them, giving a silent prayer to the Powers in hope that it was truly going to be alight. She didn't know why, but the whole night was putting her on edge. She just knew something was going to go wrong. She just didn't know what it was. No visions, no flashes, no glowy power, absolutely nothing to indicate what was to come. Just a stupid feeling of impending doom.

Later that evening, after dinner was over and the chaos and panic began, did she realize her feelings had come to be. In the worst possible way, it was the day from hell.

_Hyperion Hotel (~__5:00 pm__ or dinner time…)_

At precisely 5:00 pm, the Hyperion doors opened and Morgan and Victoria Chase walked through, almost regally. Victoria had a small smile on her face, eagerly looking around until she found what she was looking for. The small smile widened at the sight of the children standing in front of their father. The oldest, she assumed, was standing slightly in front of the other two. The little girl was standing on the other side of her father, her little hands holding on to his pant leg. She looked nervous. The other little boy seemed shy, for he was almost hiding behind Angelo's legs, occasionally peeking his head out to look at the newcomers. She looked at the man, thinking, "What was that man's name? Angelo? Or was it Diego? Or some other Hispanic name? Oh, I'll ask my daughter in private. And I thought that Cordelia said she had two children. There are three here. Oh, I'm so confused. "  

Cordelia's father on the other hand, did not smile. There was no outward sign of emotion on the man's face. After a minute of uncomfortable silence, Cordy jumped in to welcome her parents. "Mother, Daddy, come in. We were just putting on the final touches on dinner, when you arrived. Oh, where're my manners, allow me to introduce you to my friends. You met some of them this morning, but a refresher wouldn't hurt, right? Okay, Mom, Dad, this is Winifred Burkle," she pointed them out as she said their names, "but we call her Fred. This is Wesley Wyndham Pryce, Charles Gunn, and William… Spike. Of course, this handsome man is my husband, Angel—."

She was intrupted, "I thought your last name was Angel?"

Fred quickly jumped in, "Oh, it is. It's just we all call him Angel because he doesn't like his first name. And with a first name like Liam, you can't really blame him." Angel let out an unneeded breath, he really thought that Fred was going to tell Cordy's parents the 'Geraldo Angel' story that she told the doctors at the hospital where Connor was taken after he was born. Fred smiled at him, a glint in her eyes that said, 'I know what you were thinking.'

Cordy continued, "And these are my children, Connor and Cathy. The one hiding over there is my godson, Nicky Wood. His parents just got married this weekend, so they are currently on their Hawaii honeymoon. I hope that you'll come to visit later and get a chance to meet them." The children just looked at them, the younger ones looking towards their older brother for a cue to what to do or say. "Come on kids, say hello to your grandparents."

"Hello, Grandma. Hello, Grandpa." They quietly said. Angel pushed Connor and Cathy forward in effort to jar them into motion. Connor came forward and, as taught by his parents, held out his hand for a handshake. His grandmother held it with a weak grasp, but held it for a moment longer than he thought. 

His grandfather on the other hand let his hand go the moment that they touched as if he had dirty hands. He didn't because mommy made him wash it, twice, before dinner time. Cathy came up from behind him and held out her hand to her grandfather as well. He didn't make a move to shake it. Instead ignoring her and taking off his jacket. Then he motioned for his wife to take hers off as well. Her face fell at that, but hid it quickly before mommy or daddy saw. She didn't want them to be mad on mommy's special day.

The jackets were then handed to Gunn, who looked slightly surprised since Cordy was standing right next to her parents. He shook it off mumbling something only Angel and Spike could hear and put the jackets away in the office closet. Angel motioned them all to come in and follow him to the dinning room, since dinner table was set and the dinner was nice and warm. They all took their seats and passed around the food to serve. Menial conversation was discussed as to not upset their guests. 

Mr. Chase seemed deep in thought most of the evening, not contributing to the conversation unless directly asked a question. He kept staring at the children, almost as if he couldn't believe that they were there. Nicky seemed to wilt under the gaze, almost to the point of crying at the dinner table. The poor child was not used to the cold personality of his new "grandfather." Cordy, mommy senses tingling, noticed that he was having a hard time and picked him up out of the chair and excused herself to the separate kitchen. 

Once alone with the person that he thought of as his second mother, the emotions that he tried to keep hidden, let themselves free as he cried on Cordy's shoulder. The crying became hard sobs as she sat down and rubbed his back, all the while telling him that it was okay, she was here, she loved him. After five minutes, the sobs died down to sniffles and gasps. He turned himself around so that he was sitting on her lap instead of kneeling on it, and rearranged himself comfortably so that he could rest himself on her chest and shoulder. After Cordy judged the storm had passed, she gently questioned, "Nicky, what's wrong? I know that my father was looking at you, but why did you get so upset?"

"I don't know, Mommy Cordy. He feels bad. I mean, he feels mean and, I don't know…," he started sniffling more again, the tears welling up in his eyes. She patted his head and shoulder, then slowed it to a rub to comfort him. 

"It's okay, Nicky. You don't have to like him right now.  It'll take some time, once you get to know each other--"

"But Mom, he doesn't want to know ME, he just wants to know Connor."

"Well, I told him that you were my god-son, so maybe he doesn't know that we are really a family, just yet. Maybe he wants to meet your brother first since he thinks he's my only son. See my dad doesn't understand that you're my little boy too, even though you have another mommy and daddy. He doesn't know what a real family is. He just thinks that family is who you are related to by blood. But we know better, Nicky. Family are the people that you love and love you back, not the people related to you genetically," Cordy tried her best to let him know, with her hugs, that she loved him, and what her father thought about him wasn't important, but also tried to get him to understand that her father was important to her. "Do you think that you can go finish your dinner now?"

"Okay, mommy Cordy, I will. I'll be good, I promise. But you don't understand. He just wants Connor. Not me or Cathy. I can feel it." 

"Oh, Nicky, I told you. Right now, he thinks that Connor is his only grandson. He's always wanted a little boy. He'll get to know you and Cathy soon. You're all his grandchildren. You don't have to be jealous."

"But, Mommy…"

"Alright, that it's it. No buts, except you marching your butt in the dining room, right now, young man. That's it, march!"

He smiled through the sadness. _Mommy Cordy really doesn't understand, he thought, __he really wants Connor. _

This was all soon forgotten as dinner was finished, coffee was passed around, and desert dished out. Cordy was surprise to see that her father had lighted up throughout dinner and was actually smiling and being friendly to everyone. Her mother was charming. Actually charming, and sort of flirting with Wesley. God…she forgot that her mother was a big flirt. She also talked with the kids, asking them about school, friends, and hobbies that they liked. 

After dinner, the children, not wanting apple pie, begged their parents for ice cream instead. Angel grimanced, "Sorry, honey. But we don't have any ice cream. You guys ate it all two days ago. I forgot to ask Mommy to get some yesterday when she went shopping. I'll buy some later tonight, so that you can have some tomorrow, okay?"

The whinning began, "but Dad, Uncle Angel…"

Morgan Chase, stood up rather unexpectedly, a bright glowing smile on his face, "Why don't you children get your coats? You too Victoria…Your Grandma and Grandpa can get you some ice cream. That's if it's okay with your parents?"

"Oh, daddy. The kids don't need ice cream now. It's okay. Angel will pick some up later. Really, it's okay."

"Sweetheart, isn't it a grandparent's job to spoil their grandkids? I want to take them out for ice cream. It'll give us some quality time to get to know them. We'll just be on that ice cream parlor /coffee shop place down the street. I forgot what the name of it was, but we passed it along the way. We'll be fifteen minutes. Alright?"

The children, already in their coats with their shoes on, gave all of them pleading looks. Angel looked at Cordy, then at the clock, indicating that it was almost bed time, then looked back at his wife, giving her the final decision. "I suppose it'll be alright. But, only fifteen minutes. Mom, Dad, please don't buy a lot of ice cream, they do have to sleep soon. They have to go to school tomorrow and need their 'beauty sleep', okay?"

The new grandparents were holding the door open for the kids, and waved to their parents. "That'll be fine. We'll be back in fifteen minutes. With ice cream. Okay. Say goodbye to your parents."

The "bye's" echoed in the front hall of the hotel. Angel looked at Cordy. "That was a weird turn of events. I didn't think that your father liked the children all that much."

"I don't know Angel. Maybe, he wants to speak to them alone. In any case, we'll be getting some ice cream."

William, who was incredibly quiet the entire evening, spoke up, "Princess, don't take this the wrong way, but I think that he's up to something. I don't know what it is, but it's just a feeling I'm picking up on him. Like his friendly, 'I'm a grandpa' expressions are an act."

"I know. I was picking up something like that as well. But I'm mostly worried about Nicky. He was crying earlier because he thought my dad liked Connor better than him. I hope that he's not having any dependency issues with his parents not being here."

"I think that he'll be okay. If he spends enough time with your father, he'll get used to him. Nicky always needs time to adjust to new people and situations. He'll be alright," Wesley told everyone, "I used to be the same way. He just needs love and understanding. Not public ridicule and anger. Not to be yelled at in the middle of the house and being grounded with no dinner for a week…" Wesley looked up, "I mean, hypothetically."

"Right, English. Hypothetically…" Gunn looked at his friend, wondering about the man's childhood. He seemed to have a lot of parental abandonment issues with his father. He always wondered about Wesley's father. The Watcher who wanted to mold his son in his image, then punishing him when things weren't perfect. Damn, no wonder Wesley didn't have any self-esteem when he first met him. Well, that'll gonna stop. He wasn't going to let his friend put himself down. 

Fred, in her uppity optimistic way, pointed out that, "Hey, at least dinner went perfectly. It was very yummy. Good job everybody. We did it. And hopefully, we won't have to see them for another ten years. Oh. Sorry, Cordy. I know that they're your parents, but I was getting annoyed with your mother thinking that Charles was her personal slave. Did you see the way she asked him to get her things. Gosh, I don't know how you kept your cool, Charles. If she was doing that to me, I would've yelled at her or something."

Cordy seemed to understand, smiling sympathetically at everyone, "I'm sorry. They act like they're royalty. They can't help themselves. It's inbreed or something. Hey, at least I don't act like that anymore."

Brring…Brrring…

The phone rang. "I'll get the phone. Can you all start cleaning up the dinner table for me, please." Everyone when back to the kitchen to perform their cleanup duties as Cordelia asked. They were after all a family. They helped each other, even with chores. The others started putting dishes in the washer, cleaning pots and pans, and cleaning off the dinning room table, when they hear a shriek from the front hall.

"What? What do you mean? NO! NO! This is not happening. NO! Where are they? I want to talk to them. NOW!" Cordy was screaming into the phone as they all walked back into the hall. "Cathy, honey, are you okay? Is Nicky, okay? Okay, you're both okay. Where are you? Okay…what do you mean, Grandpa and Grandma took Connor? Where did they take him? No, Mommy and Daddy are coming, so are the aunts and uncles. Do not leave the ice cream parlor. Okay? Wait for us. I love you." 

She didn't even have to say anything. The gang rounded up weapons and jumped into their cars to the ice cream parlor. They arrived to find Cathy and Nicky hugging each other crying for their big brother. 

Through all of the chaos, they seemed get what had happened out of the children. Her parents had taken the children to the ice cream parlor, then called someone named Lidsey or Lesley on the phone. Then five minutes later, they were told that they had to leave to go home. All of a sudden, these black cars showed up and these people in suits got out and started chanting. A portal with a monster opened and took Connor away. The monster said that the prophecy wouldn't come true now, since Connor was in 'quar-thoot'.  The people in the suits then got in their cars and left. One of the men had a plastic hand. He gave Grandpa and grandma something in a yellow envelope and they all got into his car and left them there. But Connor was gone. They didn't know where he was. A monster got him.

Angel, now in full vamp face, growled, "LINDSAY…I'm going to kill him. This time I'm going to enjoy it. I'll make it slow and then right before his last breath has finished, he'll tell me WHERE MY SON IS."

"God, Angel. Where's Connor? Where's my son? God, I can't believe this. Where is he? Why didn't I see it coming? Why? WHY? WHY???" Cordy was screaming and crying hysterically. Fred and Wesley comforting her. 

"This time…Lindsay McDonald is going to pay." Angel pointedly looked at Spike and Gunn. "I'm going to get my son back. You are going to help me. I'll be back, with Connor, or I'm going to destroy Wolfram and Hart. This time, it's war. One that I'm going to win. And at the end of the day, they'll all be dead."

_To be continued. **Chapter5: Deal with the Devil (coming soon)**_

How did you like it? Lindsay McDonald has kidnapped Connor. Yes. He still has his plastic hand. No Evil Hand. Just go with it.

Yes…Connor is coming back as a teenager. Problem solved. (Now I can have stories when he's a little boy and a teenager and they'll make sense. Sort of…)


	4. Chapter 5: Deal with the Devil

_Disclaimer: As always, Angel the series and all of its characters belong to Joss Whedon and its various networks and production companies, NOT ME. Please don't sue me, I'm not making any money off of this. It's just mindless fun. _

****

**Rating: PG- 14, it maybe R (in one section). I'll warn you right before, so if you don't want to read about torture, you don't have to. **(Although, its going to be a little worse than usual due to the fact that Angel and Cordy are P.Oed  at Wolfram and Hart. If you don't know what I'm talking about, please read Chapter 4. You'll miss a lot of what's going on, if you don't.)

_PS: Again, as with all of my stories, my mistakes are my own. I don't have a beta_. 

[Thoughts are in _italics_, speech is in quotation marks, "". Okay?]

**Fast Forward**

**By: Sensue**

****

**Chapter 5: Deal with the Devil**

_Wolfram and Hart (__7:00 pm__)_

Lindsay McDonald sat in the conference room where the rest of the senior and junior staff were celebrating the harsh blow that Wolfram and Hart delivered via the seer's parents, of all people, to Angel and the rest of his goody good squad. The others, including Lila Morgan, his co-partner in this scheme, were toasting each other and getting drunk. The senior partners even came to celebrate, congratulating him and Lila for their 'efforts' in putting Angel in his place. Without the son born of two vampires, the prophecy couldn't come true. And that was a major check mark in Wolfram and Hart's column. 

While everyone was slowly getting drunk and becoming severely obnoxious, Lindsay sat at the table thinking that this was too easy, that Angel would soon explode, perhaps even turn to the dark side of his personality becoming Angelus once again. He took a slow drink from his glass, letting the liquor sit on his tongue before swallowing. This wasn't over, not just yet. But, he'd gotten his revenge. Angel would never again see his and Darla's son again. Angel deserved it, he took everything from him. He took his hand, he took Darla, and then he tried to take his life. He took another sip…_yes, vengeance was truly sweet. _

The seer's parents were well on their way to Aspen for a holiday full of skiing and relaxing. They were assured that when they returned back to the State's, their daughter would be divorced and her children 'taken care of.' _Those dumb idiots_, how quickly they believed their assurances, _they really thought that their daughter would leave 'that Angelo person' after her son was taken_. They couldn't know how the rings that bound the couple in marriage also prevented separation.

_[**Read A New Beginning at ; if you don't understand this. ~Sensue]_

One of the senior partners sat down next to him, again congratulating him on a job well done. He shook the man's hand, a smile on his face. _Yes, it was a job well done_. He almost couldn't wait to see Angel's reaction. Soon…he should know who kidnapped his son soon. And on top of that it was a demon from the future who wanted to destroy Angel. Sah'jan took Connor to an unreachable dimension, the Quar' toth. No matter how hard Angel and his team tried, they'd never get his son back. 

Crash.

Shatter.

Bang.

_Speak of the devil_, Lindsay thought as Angel, in full vampire face, broke through what was supposed to be an unbreakable pane of glass after the last time Angel had broken in. _I guess he's figured it out. _

Angel as quick as the superhero his friends associated him with, knocked the lawyers closest to him unconscious and went for Lindsay's throat. "You have two seconds to tell me where my son is or you're not going to have ANY limbs attached to your body, Lindsay." 

The smile that was previously on Lindsay's lips was replaced by a bluish tinge that indicated oxygen depravation. His mouth didn't work properly as the need to breath took over all of his thoughts and actions. He scratched and hit Angel's arms in attempt to release the hold on his neck. A small reprieve was granted as Angel released his tight hold for only a second to allow him to draw just one breath, just one small enough for him to answer his question. 

"I do't kn—."

"Lindsay, Lindsay," his face was slapped hard with a hand, "that's not what I wanted to hear." The hand that was still around his throat tightened significantly. "Now, where's my son?"

The door to the conference room was thrown open by Wolfram and Hart security guards complete with stakes and tazers.  Angel barely gave them a second glance. Lindsay could now see lights dancing in front of his eyes; his lungs burning now, dying for oxygen. He saw darkness coming and wished for it to take him, so that he could, at least, have a moment without the pain of trying to breath. 

"Uh, uh, uh, Lindsay. You don't get away that easily," Angel slapped him once more, hard enough to throw him into the unconsciousness he wished for. Angel looked around once more at the security guards, sniffed the air, then throwing Lindsay over his shoulder, jumped through the five story window that he'd destroyed in order to get in.

** ***RATING CHANGE, RATED R, although some PG 14 movies and TV shows, like Angel, actually show things like this, but just to be on the safe side, RATED R for torture. They showed Angel cutting off Lindsay's hand and massacring a bunch of lawyers, so mine's pretty tame compared to that. But like I said, I just want to be safe. *****

_Abandoned Warehouse (~__8:00 pm__)_

Lindsay opened his eyes wearily, shaking the remnants of sleep. He tried to move, but found that his arms were tied behind his back and his legs tied to the bottom of the metal chair he sat in. He opened his eyes, then wished he could close them. Not only was Angel, in vamp face, sitting right in front of him, but he was holding an ice pick. Right against the eye that he opened. 

"Wake-y, Wake-y, Lindsay. I know that you're awake now. Now that we won't be interrupted, why don't you just tell me what I want to know? Now, again, WHERE'S MY SON?" His voice was hard and his tone angry. His face was right in front of his, so close that he could feel Angel's voice, rather than hear it. 

"I told you, I—," the rest of the sentence was drowned out by a scream as the ice pick was slammed into his thigh. Angel's hand was still on the hilt, slightly moving it to cause more pain.

"And, I told you, that's the wrong answer. Now, where's my son?"

Before Lindsay could gasp out an answer, the door to the warehouse was kicked open. Lindsay gave a sigh of relief, closing his eyes, _help was here. They came to rescue him. When he opened his eyes again, disappointment and terror replaced the relief. _

_God, William the Bloody_, Aka Spike_,__ is here. They weren't here to rescue him. William the Bloody was rumored to be the second worse vampire in history, only second to Angelus. __And now, he was here to help Angel torture him._

"Angel, what are you doing? You're torturing him!"

"Listen, Spike, I don't need your bullshit right now. I want my son back. And I'm going to get him back if I have to cut off Lindsay's every limb. If you're not going to help me get Connor back, then GET OUT! If you're going to help, grab a knife."

"Alright, I'll help, but what about your soul? Your redemption?"

"It means nothing without my son, my family, Spike." Angel turned his head to face his grandchilde; he turned it just in time to see Spike hit him over the head with a pipe.

Angel lay flat on the ground, blood pouring from the head wound that Spike had inflicted. Lindsay, in attempt to gain an alley against Angel spoke to Spike, "You're William the Bloody, right? You hate Angel as much as I do. Listen, help me. Let me go and I'll see that Wolfram and Hart extends you every offer and opportunity to get back at what he's done to you… and your girlfriend, Drusilla, was it? So what do you say?"

Spike, in typical fashion, punched him in the face, "What do you think I say? I say you're a bloody bastard and I'm going to kill you. You're going to tell me what you did to my 'nephew' or I'll wake Angelus and let him have his way with you. Trust me, you're better off with me."

He took the hilt of the ice pick, still in Lindsay's thigh and pulled it out. His blood ran down the tip to its handle. The blood was then wiped on his face, mixing the blood on his thigh with the blood from the newly forming cuts on his face. "Do you know why they called me William the Bloody? You must know, you know my name." More cuts were made by the ice pick, "I don't really like these ice picks, you know. I'd rather have a railroad spike; they make more of a bloody mess."

Lindsay gasping in fear and pain, unable to keep the secret from his torturers, whimpered, "Stop, please, alright. I'll tell you. I'll tell you, but you aren't going to be able to get him back. He's in Quar'toth; it's a demon dimension that can only be accessed once. It takes dark magicks to open it and once it closes only a rip in the fabric of reality can open it. If you reopen it, it'll destroy this reality. There's no way of getting Angel's son back." 

"Oh, really. I think that we'll find a way to open that portal. Thank you for the information. You've been really helpful. And just to be safe, if I find that you, bloody well, lied to me I'm going to cut off the hand Angel forgot." With that being said, the ice pick was stabbed hard into the other thigh and left there.

****

**_***Okay, the rating is back to PG-14. The worst part is over! I promise. ~Sensue****_**

Spike went over to where Angel lay and threw him up over his shoulder, he looked toward Lindsay, "See you soon." Spike walked over to where he found Angel's car. He put him in the back seat and nodded over to Gunn, who was driving his truck they had used to track down Angel. He promised the Princess that he'd find Angel and stop him from doing something that would risk his soul, but he didn't promise her that HE wouldn't do the same. They were all just lucky that he could track his grandsire using vampire senses, or else he might've been too late.

He looked over at the man who had so radically changed his entire existence. He seemed so lost now, not the smiling, joking, somewhat funny man that he'd become while married to the Princess. He thought of the Princess, she was so sad, sobbing at the loss of her son. She cried, it seemed endlessly, until she thought of her family. Her husband, her children, her co-workers, they needed her to be strong. So she pushed the pain and anguish under a tight seal, instead portraying strength and confidence that 'everything was going to be alright.' She then ordered Spike and Gunn to hunt down Angel, to stop him from what she knew that he would do to the lawyers that dared touch his first born. To Wesley, she commanded that he research any and everything that could help them find her son. Fred was told to watch the other children with her life if it was necessary. Nicky and Cathy cried hysterically, crying until they fell asleep in their Aunt's arms, wishing that their big brother would come home soon.

_Caritas (~__8:00 pm__)_

Cordy waited until the others had gone about the business she'd asked of them to go see the one person who would've caught her parents scheme to kidnap her son in time, Krevlorneswath of the Deth'wok clan, or the demon she simply called Lorne at his Karaoke club. She took her jeep the drive to the front of his club. The front of the club wasn't much to look at, to deter humans that were unlikely to know that demons existed. The door that actually led into the club was hidden and only those who knew about Caritas knew where the door was and how to open it. Cordy had been taken to the club many times by Angel and Wesley while investigating their cases to "help the hopeless." She opened the door and walked down the narrow staircase to the real entrance of the club. She looked around quickly trying to stay calm, yet finding it exceeding hard to maintain her composure. 

_How could they?_ She thought angrily.  Those damn PTBs would send her visions of puppies in a tree if they thought it would help Angel, and Faith and Spike, to an extent, regain their redemption. _Now, now, when I needed them to send me a vision to protect my son, they fail me_. 

She saw who she was looking for over by the bar talking, actually he looked annoyed, to the bartender. As she got closer, she heard Lorne say, "This is not a sea breeze. It's water with flavoring. Don't they teach you anything at school? You're supposed to be a college student, how could you NOT know how to mix a drink! Boy oh boy, do I miss Claude." Lorne took a drink in the glass he held even though he was disappointed in it. He made a face after he swallowed. "Hey, why don't you drink this and see if our customers will come back?"

He turned his head just in time to see his favorite girl, sorry woman, walk through the door. "Princess, Boy, you're a sight for soar eyes. I was just telling my new bartender, Harold, that he should learn a thing about mixing drinks. So, how was your dinner party, which I'm by no way offended, that I wasn't invited to?" 

"Lorne, I need your help. My, my parents, they…they stole Connor and let a demon take him to another dimension through a portal. Please, Lorne," her hands started shaking when she put them near her head, "help me, please. Help me find him. There's got to be a way. You have to help me talk to the Powers. I have to get my son back. Why? Why didn't they show it to me? They show me the most insignificant vampire attacks and they can't show me that my son is going to be kidnapped." She put her hands on the table in front of her as if the table could hold her upright. 

"Oh, Princess. I'm so sorry. I can't believe that. Your parents kidnapped your son? How could they? Why? No, Forget it, we don't have time. I'll help you. What can I do, though?" Lorne looked greener than usual, very upset by the news.

"I need to talk to the Powers, NOW, Lorne. How do I talk to them?"

"You can't talk to the Powers, sweetheart, no one can." 

She jumped in, "But--," 

"But, nothing, Princess. You can't talk to the Powers. You can only talk through Conduits, or Links, to the PTBs like yourself. I know where they are, but honey, they don't like us lower beings coming to them. They could hurt you." Lorne tried to persuade her that there was another way.

"They've already hurt me. They took my son. They took him to some sort of a HELL DIMENSION, away from his family, away from his sister, away from me, Lorne. Trust me, they've already hurt me. Now, I want my son back. I want to talk to the powers. Please, Lorne, please." She pleaded, the shaking becoming more pronounced.

Lorne quickly pulled up a chair and pushed her to sit in it. Once she was safely in a seat, he kneeled down in front of her, taking both of her hands in his, "Ok, princess. I'll tell you where the conduit is. Just as a warning, they only allow Champions to enter. I know that you're a champion, but they might not consider you one. I hope that you find the answers that you're searching for and we find mini-Angel soon. I miss the little guy already."

_The Conduit (~__9:00 pm__)_

For a place called a 'conduit', it sure didn't look like one. It actually looked like a bunch of rocks with a fire built in the middle. Cordy turned to look more closely. _This was the conduit. This was where the PTBs sent their champions. Boy, why don't they just bury them here, instead_. "Ok, I'm here. And you know what? I'm sick of you. All of you. You play Gods up there. You play with people's lives. You send me stupid visions, visions that almost killed me. Instead of dying though, I got turned into a 'part-demon' and you know what? I'm not taking your crap anymore. This time you're going to help me. You're going to help me and Angel, your champion, find our son! And I'm not taking 'no' for an answer! I'm not going to leave. I'll stay here forever, if I have to. I want MY SON BACK. Help me get my son back."

A thundering voice, no voices, echoed through the small rocky cavern. "She speaks. But she does not know."

"What? What don't I know? Why didn't you send me a vision? Why didn't you tell me that my son was going to be kidnapped?"

"The warning was sent. He knew. You did not listen. Does she know pain? Yes. She knows pain. She knows despair."

"What warning? No one told me anything. No one told me that my parents had planned to take my son."

"Your question has been answered, lower being."

"NO! It hasn't. Tell me where my son is."

"He cannot be reached. He is lost. You cannot enter." 

A flash of light blinded Cordelia, eyes closing to protect herself from the onslaught. When she reopened them, she found Lorne kneeling in front of her asking her if she was okay. "Yes. Lorne, I'm fine. They didn't help me at all. They didn't tell me where Connor was. They didn't tell me why they didn't send me a vision. They said that I did. But I didn't. I didn't see anything to warn me."

"Well, Princess, did they say they sent you a vision or did they say something else?" Lorne asked, helping her off the floor where she had landed. 

"They said that 'I was warned, but I didn't listen.' Trust me, if I saw my son being taken, I would've listened."

"What if YOU didn't get the warning? What if someone else did? Did anyone tell you that your parents were going to take Connor? Or anything like that? Something small that you didn't seem to notice at the time, but now that it's happened, you can believe them?"

"Lorne, no. No one told me that my parents wanted to take—oh my, Nicky." Her hand was put over her mouth to stop the coming screams, "He, he told me that my father 'wanted Connor' more than him. That he 'felt' bad. What if he knew? What if he knew that Connor was going to be taken? I have to talk to him. I have to ask him." The shaking that had stopped previously, returned with a fury. Cordy couldn't stand any longer. 

_The Hyperion (~__10:00 pm__)_

Lorne had to help her walk back to her Jeep and drive back to the Hyperion. The others were already there, waiting for Angel and Cordy to return in order to discuss what they had found out. Spike and Gunn had returned shortly after retrieving Angel, who was still unconscious, from the warehouse. They had carried him into the hotel and placed him on the couch in his office until he awoke. They had come in to find Fred pacing the lobby and wringing her hands. When they asked where Cordy was, the pacing only increased. 

Fred was so upset all she could do was think of Connor. _I can't believe this. The poor little boy. He got sucked through a portal. There's nothing to hold on to in a portal. What if he gets sick? What if he ends up in a dimension worse than Pylea? What if they treat him like a cow? There must be a scientific explaination. I mean E=mc2. Energy can't be created or destroyed, only changed. What if there was a way to change it back? What if I can design something that could convert the energy created by the opening of the portal to reopen it? I need a black marker. I need to write this down. I have to think of something to help him. He's just a little boy. He's going to miss his mommy and daddy so much. Just like I did. _And Poor Nicky and Cathy.___ They are so upset. Poor Nicky kept saying that it was his fault that Connor got taken. It wasn't his fault. It's Cordy's parents' fault. She took a marker off of Cordy's desk. She knew that Cordy wouldn't mind, after all the marker was going to help her think of things to try to get Connor back. _No she won't mind_. _

She took the marker and started by the stairwell. Writing down equations and ideas for inventing a 'Portal Opener'. Yup, that was what she was going to call it. The ideas came out in a flood. The space was getting too small. She needed more space on the wall. She jumped, someone touched her. Oh, it was just Wesley. He was talking but she couldn't hear him. He took the marker. "NO! I need that. I have to think. I have to think of a way to save Connor. He's alone. He's alone in a weird Hell Dimension without his mommy and daddy. He's going to be a cow. They're going to hurt him. We can't let them hurt him. We have to find him before they make him forget about everything. About Earth, about his family, about anything that's real. Wesley, Give me back my marker. Please, I need it; I need it." She banged her fists against his chest. Wesley grabbed her trying to stop her from hurting herself. Soon the fight was taken out of her and she collapsed against him, sobbing all of her fears and frustrations for the little boy that she loved. 

Spike and Gunn had left the two alone, knowing that Fred would be okay with Wesley. That he'd take care of her and comfort her. Gunn had a spark of jealously seeing them, but he let it go. He knew that he wasn't the one that Fred was meant to be with. She had always loved Wesley, he knew this now. And, it was alright with him. He had also found someone. _A beautiful someone that he'd forgotten to call tonight.__ Shit_. His new girl wasn't going to be nice about this. He quickly crossed the room and called her, telling her that it was truly a family emergency and he HAD to cancel their date. And to his astonishment, the lady actually forgave him and told him that she'd call him in the morning to see how he was. Wow, he'd really found 'the one.' 

Spike also left the room. He went upstairs to check in on the children. His head was downcast. He failed at his mission. His mission, his only mission, was to protect the children with his life and even in this he had to fail. Nicky and Cathy had ended up sleeping in their parent's bedroom, both cuddled together as if still frightened. He walked over and smoothed their brows. Cathy had her father's brow, same as Connor. When she brooded, she looked exactly like him. Nicky was the more sensitive child. He always was. He always seemed to know if someone was mad at him and took it to heart, even if it was it wasn't important. So, of course, this 'situation' would bother him worse than Cathy. Nicky was still asleep, but he was weeping. Spike sat down on the edge of the bed, leaning in close to Nicky. He rubbed the little boy's back until he stopped the weeping. With his thumb, he wiped away the remnants of his tears. 

He straightened; it was time to call for some reinforcements. He went into the other room, one with a phone and called the only people he knew that would come right away without any argument or complaint. The person on the other line told him that they would arrive as soon as they were able to get a flight. He thanked them, then hung up the phone. 

Spike took an unneeded breath and went back down the stairs to check on his grandsire. Angel should've awoke by now. If he didn't wake soon, he'd throw Peaches in the pool that the Princess had discovered on her trek through the hotel. How in the world had she found the pool under two inches of floorboard was beside him, but Angel seemed to think it was funny and made fun of her, reminding her of the time she took the linoleum off his floor in their first office. She laughed about it too, but Spike didn't get the joke. It must've been some sort of an inside joke.

The Princess was no where to be found. If she didn't get back soon, he'd have Gunn drive him again in the truck while he sniffed down Cordy. He was becoming the original blood hound of the group. I mean, who else was he going to have to sniff out, the kitten down the street! 

No later than he had thought about her, had she walked through the door. Well, walked is an overstatement: Carried was more like it. Lorne was practically dragging her through the doors and down the steps of the Hyperion. "Um, someone help! The princess is getting pretty heavy. I don't want to drop her." 

Angel woke up abruptly, sensing that Cordy was in trouble. It was funny how he could sense when his wife was in danger, but he couldn't sense when his children were. He just let complete strangers out of his home, his territory with his children. He was lucky that they didn't plan on taking all three of them or he could have lost his entire family in one stupid moment. He never should've trusted them. _I mean, Cordy didn't even trust them and they were HER parents_. Shaking away those thoughts of self-flagellation, he looked around. _I'm at the Hyperion. "SPIKE!" His shout was probably heard throughout the entire neighborhood. __I'm going to stake him. He came out of the office enraged. Spike had stopped him from finding out where his son was. Spike had prevented him from his revenge. Lindsay McDonald deserved to die and he was going to be the one to kill him. Spike had better not have killed him; He wanted to do it._

Angel, morphing into vampire mode, stormed through the office doors and found his target. He grabbed Spike by the throat and slammed him against the wall. The only thing that stopped him from putting the stake that he held against Spike's chest through his heart was the hand grasping his arm and the woman that was pleading with him to stop; Crying that she didn't want to lose her son, brother-in-law, and husband all in one night. 

Angel dropped the stake and let go of Spike. Instead he dropped to his knees and covered his vampire face with his hands, ashamed of what he tried to do. Cordy went to her knees beside her husband and uncovered his face. She didn't care that he was a vampire. She loved him all the same. He wasn't crying, which surprised the others. Yet his face was despair. His eyes, which were hours before, shining with happiness now were full of unshed tears and anguish. He looked at his wife, and saw the tears streaming down her face. He moved so that she could lean against his chest. He could feel the tears being shed on his shirtfront but was unable to release his own emotions. Instead he held his wife closer, wrapping both arms around her and looking at the others crying around them. Fred and Wesley, both crying, held each other trying to receive an offer comfort at the same time. Spike sat on the top stair and said, over and over, "I'm so sorry," in between his sobs. Gunn was trying to be a tough guy and not cry, but failed miserably; Tears escaped the tightly closed lids. 

Angel looked up once he'd noticed the others were starting to calm, his face completely serious, "We need to know what happened. I need you all to tell me what you've found. We need to get Connor back home. He belongs with us, with our family. Now, how do we get him back?"

No one wanted to be the one to tell him. No one wanted to acknowledge the truth. They looked down, up, at their hands, played with their buttons and cleaned their glasses. No one looked at Angel. "Well, how do we get him back? How do we get the portal to open?"

Cordy pulled away from Angel's embrace, the tears still flowing, "We can't. We can't get him back. It's entirely my fault that we lost Connor. I should've listened to him. I should've known. They were my parents. I should've known that they'd try to ruin my life. I should've known that they'd sell me out to Wolfram and Hart. It was my fault," the sobs got louder, "my fault…Nicky told me. Nicky, he told me that they wanted Connor. I just didn't listen and now, we can't get him back. You can't open a portal to Quar'toth. It'll destroy the world. We can't get Connor back. He's gone." Cordy cried until she could no longer breathe. She collapsed on the floor, passed out.

Spike reacted; he picked her up and took her upstairs to _his bed since the children were in their bedroom. He lay her down and covered her with many blankets, making sure that she wouldn't go into shock in the middle of the night. He came back down to see the others escaping to other rooms in the hotel to give Angel privacy. He sat in the exact same spot; he didn't seem to know that he could move if he wanted to. _

"Angel, I'm sorry—," Spike began.

"I don't want to hear it. The only thing that I want to hear is my son's voice. I want Cordy to smile again and my children to be happy. I want everything to be the way it was before those bastards stole my son." Angel got up off of the ground, "I'm going to find a way to open that portal. I'm going to find one even if it destroys the world. I want my son back."

_To be continued_… Chapter 6 (_Untitled_, for now)

**I know that you're all getting sick of those words, **

**but**** you know what: It'll be worth it when I finish.  **

**Thanks for being patient. ~Sensue**


	5. Chapter 6: Eidetaker

_Disclaimer: As always, Angel the series and all of its characters belong to Joss Whedon and its various networks and production companies, NOT ME. Please don't sue me, I'm not making any money off of this. It's just mindless fun. _

**Rating: PG- 14**

_PS: Again, as with all of my stories, my mistakes are my own. I don't have a beta_. 

[Thoughts are in _italics_, speech is in quotation marks, "". Okay?]

**Fast Forward**

**By: Sensue**

**Chapter 6: Eidetiker**

**_Red Dragon (Third in the _****_Hannibal_****_ Trilogy)_**

**_"I've always had a feeling…you were an eidetiker." –_****_Hannibal_****_._**

**_"I'm not a psychic…" –Will Graham._**

**_"…Not psychic…you're more akin to artistic imagination. You're able to assume the emotional point of view of other people, even those who might scare or sicken you." –_****_Hannibal_****_._**

_Four Hours Later (Hyperion Hotel)_

"Alright, so you are all pretty much telling me that there's no way to get Connor back," Angel said gravely as he paced the small office almost knocking over Fred, Spike, Lorne, Wesley and Gunn in his aimless march, "okay. Why was Cordy so upset? I don't understand. Why did she say that 'he' warned her? Who warned her? And if they did warn her that her parents were going to kidnap Connor, why didn't she tell me? Or at least prevent her parents from visiting--." 

Lorne had to cut the poor man off, sorry the poor vampire off; He was starting to get louder and louder and Lorne did not want the Princess, or the children for that matter, to hear him go off. "It was Nicky," Lorne answered at least one of his questions, "that little boy is very special, Angel. He's always been special; similar to an eidetiker."

"Lorne, man. What the hell is a edi-taker?" Gunn asked, "Does that mean that he can read minds? 'Cause that's sort of freaky."

"No, I mean his an Empath, like me. He's able to assume the emotional point of view of other people, without needing them to sing, like I do. He can feel what others can feel. Of course, I've had more practice reading auras, more so than emotions. I'm from a hell dimension full of warriors who don't feel anything, but hungry. Hey don't look at me like that; It was a good joke. Ok, ok…I'll further explain. I don't need people to sing to see their auras, I can just see them. Nicky can do the opposite. He can just be around people and know how they feel."

Wesley was puzzled, "Why didn't you say anything before this? If you had noticed it, this empathy, why didn't you at least tell his parents?"

"It's not my place. I can't just go around and tell you all what the other is capable of. It takes away personal privacy, and in all honesty, even though I knew he had the gift; I didn't know that he was that good at differentiating other people's emotions so soon. I mean, he's only five years old. When I was younger, I felt I was different, but I didn't know why or how I was different. I was trying to save him from those kinds of feelings until he was a little older, old enough to understand his gift. I swear if I'd known that he was getting stronger, I would've told Faith and Robin. I wouldn't have let Nicky suffer feelings of alienation and, as your fellow associate mentioned, being called a 'freak' just because he's different." Lorne gave Gunn a severe glare as he said this. 

"Sorry." Gunn blurted.

"An Empath? Ok, Nicky's an empath. I can deal with that." Angel stopped his pacing and looked the desk he was standing in front of, as if it held all the answers. 

"Well, since we are talking about the children, I might as well tell you about Cathy as well," Lorne began.

"Cathy?" Everyone in the office stopped what they were doing and looked up at Lorne. Angel looked at him hard, starring deep in his eyes, "What about Cathy?"

"Well, our little princess, jr. really is Princess, Jr. She's a seer, like her mommy, except her gifts will come to her a little differently. If you all remember, before Cordy was turned into a part-demon, her visions were so painful that they were going to kill her in time. Now that she's got a little demon in her, she can tolerate them without pain. Now, Cathy will also get visions in the form of 'flashes,' but she can only see them after direct contact with something that is associated with the vision. Ok, how do I explain this? Oh…Have you ever seen the show Charmed? If you haven't, Spike can tell you, he's watched that show before. I've seen him. Well, since Angel and Wesley are shaking their heads, I'll explain a little. It's a show about three witch sisters that have powers. One sister can freeze time, another can do something they call 'orb', but basically the girl's a teleporter. But, the third sister can see the future. She can, for example, touch her classmate's book and see that she's going to be attacked by demons later that evening. That sort of thing. Now, Cathy's power hasn't activated yet, but once it does, she's going to be extremely powerful, like her mommy."

"Do you think that she'll be in pain? Cordy was in pain. I don't want the lit'l bit to hurt. I want her to stay a little girl. She's got to stay a lit'l bit." Spike seemed very upset by this. _Come on_, he looked to the ceiling, _you make Dawnie grow up, now you're doing it to Miss Lucy [Cathy]_? 

"Oh. Don't worry about that. Our little Princess has a tiny bit of demon in her, like her mommy and daddy. But, just enough to keep her from getting hurt when she gets the vision flashes. And as she gets older, she'll get more powers. She's a very strong girl, Angel. She'll be fine." Lorne explained. 

"Wow. Genetically, Cathy has got to be absolutely one of a kind. Well, so is Connor, but at least both of his parents were vampires. That's sort of the same species so, even if it's technically impossible to have a vampire baby, it's not impossible genetically. But Cathy, she's got two different demons in her--" Angel stared at her, "Ok. I'm going to keep my thoughts to myself now, before I say something really stupid. Hey, I know what I CAN say that would be stupider… Got any weed?" 

**_[_**_That was from the episode "Spin the Bottle" when they all got turned into teenagers. I almost died laughing when I heard her ask Wesley that question. It was a funny situation, but I would have never thought that she would do drugs. That's why I included it here. ~Sensue**]**_

Wesley turned red at that, while Gunn laughed out loud. Spike and Angel just looked at each other, shrugging that they had no clue. Angel let them laugh, he knew that they needed some kind of release or they would burn out, but they really needed to get back to business. His son was in some kind of a horrible hell dimension that they had no way of entering to perform a rescue. He truly was at his wits end. He couldn't think of anything that he could do. He could go to Wolfram and Hart and torture another lawyer, but if Lindsay had told Spike that there was no way that they could open the door to Quar'toth, then it was almost a hundred percent the truth. He remembered how persuasive Spike could be if he put his mind to it. There was no way that Lindsay could've lied. He sat down abruptly in the chair and put his head in his arms; his son was truly lost. 

He sat there for a little while contemplating the changes that his life had taken in such a small amount of time. His only son was kidnapped by his wife's parents, his wife was a complete wreck guilt racking her into such a state, his daughter was going to be a seer like her mother, and his nephew is an Empath. _Now, what? Angel thought desperately. _

A light touch startled him from his dark thoughts. He looked up quickly, doing a double take. "Faith, Robin? What are you doing back? How'd you know?"

"We got a call telling us to high tale our asses back to L.A. and that you needed me, us, you needed us. Did you find anything? Can you get that fucking portal open or do we kick some ass?" Faith asked. 

"Listen, I can't really go over this anymore or I'll go insane right now. Wesley can explain it to you. I have to go…somewhere; for a walk or something. I'll be back." With that being said Angel took is black trench coat from the coat rack and walked out of the door.

Angel walked out of home, yes, his home. It was the first time in almost two hundred years that he felt so comfortable in a place that he called it home. Not only did he find a home, but he rediscovered love. It was so strange how he had in so much love with Buffy Summers, had spent three, no actually it was four if you counted the years he had been watching her as she was called, years with her as her 'boyfriend,' but, in all honest, didn't know a thing about her besides the fact that she was the slayer. He thought back at all those years; he didn't even know what her favorite color was or her favorite foods, nothing, he knew nothing about his first love. 

He met Cordelia in Sunnydale, spoke with her and only knew that she was sort of Buffy's friend. He actually liked Cordelia better than Buffy's other friends. He talked to her only a couple of times, and in those times, he thought she was funny. He remembered the day that he was waiting for Buffy in the Bronze, when Cordelia ran into him. He really wanted to leave, but he thought that it would be rude, so he did as she asked and sat with her at a table. After only a few minutes, he became comfortable in her presence. So comfortable in fact, that he was actually smiling and laughing at her 'leather Barbie car' joke. He'd always known what a strong person she was and was curious about her, but because of his up/down relationship with Buffy, he'd never really gotten to know her. 

Then he moved to L.A. to forget about everything he'd had in Sunnydale. He wanted to start a new life. But the Powers that Be prevented him from being alone, as he planned. They sent him friends in the form of Allan Francis Doyle and Cordelia Chase. Two people who he would previously never even try to talk to. Yet he found himself being drawn to them both. Doyle as a best friend and Cordy, well at first, as someone who needed help. She wasn't fooling him with the 'I'm a famous actress' spiel. Then when Doyle died saving them, he and Cordy got closer. She became his best friend, his confidant, and his link to the PTBs. Unlike his relationship with Buffy, where he couldn't tell her stories about his past for fear of her disgust, he could tell his Cordy anything. Of course, if she found it disgusting, she'd just tell him, and then make fun of him for it for the entire week. He'd never been so close to anyone before, not even Darla, and he'd been with her over 150 years. 

Then he'd run into Wesley and found another friend. At first Wesley was an annoyance, his lack of self-confidence hurting not only himself, but the people around him. It was Cordy who had encouraged Wesley to trust himself. Wesley proved himself after Angel had fired all of them in his 'beige period.' He had taken in Cordy and Charles Gunn and created a new Angel Investigations, one without Angel. Thinking back, Angel always thought that Cordy would assume as leader. She had the most experience with the business. But, it was Cordy who made Wesley assume leadership, instead of rightfully assuming that role. In that role, Angel had found a partner in Wesley, an equal who he could trust to take care of the business and his friends when he wasn't able to. 

He had run into Charles Gunn in attempt to stop some vampires from running the town. Gunn had been much like a thug back then, only doing what he had to in order for him and his gang to survive. And back then, nothing else mattered. It was funny because Angel himself had thought the same thing. Again, it was Cordy who broke through Gunn's façade; she saw him for who he really was and bound them all with a mission statement. Angel Investigations was going to "help the hopeless."

Lorne was, at first, just an informant. A karaoke singing demon who could read emotions and guide you through the future possibilities. Gradually he became more than that; he became a friend, not just a 'demon that I know.' It was through Lorne and his Pylean background, that Angel had met and rescued a shy Texan girl named Fred. She was quirky, after all she'd spent five years living as a 'cow' in Pylea, but had eventually with constant support from Wesley, Cordy, and Gunn, come out of the superimposed shell she'd placed around herself. They had found an individual who was extremely smart and loyal.

Shortly after that, Darla made her appearance known along with their child. It was strange how not only did that baby had given Darla a soul; he had given her a reason for life. She'd found true love in the form of a little baby boy who she had felt, but never seen.  Darla had sacrificed herself for her son's life, giving him everything that she'd never had for herself: a family who loved him, a life, and a future.

Angel had loved his son more than anything in this world. Through his infant son, he had seen the possibilities that existed with Cordelia. Had seen her soul shining brightly and had seen everything that Cordy was willing to sacrifice for him, for his son. Through that he had found real love that would last a lifetime in her. The powers had nearly taken her from him. THEY were willing to let her die from the visions. Instead, Cordelia had chosen to take in demon aspects and blood. This would allow her to live with being a Seer and stop the pain that had left her suffering in silence for years. 

He'd married her. Loved her. Had another baby with her. Started a family neither one felt deserved one. Angel felt that way because of his Angelus days and Cordy because of her own history with his family. The blessed event that had made them husband and wife had also bound their souls together. The curse was no longer a concern for the happy couple, they could live their lives full of love, joy, and wonder without worrying that Angelus would make an appearance and ruin it.

And now, his happy family was torn apart. His son was taken. Angel was not going to give up hope, no matter what anyone told him. He was going to talk to the PTBs himself. And he was going to get their son back. NO MATTER WHAT!

_The Conduit_

Angel walked into the cavern his wife visited only hours before. He was going to find a way. There was no stopping him. His son was only seven years old. He deserved a childhood. He deserved his family and a future with them. _Damn it…I can't lose him, not now._

"I'm here. I'm willing to offer you what you want. I'm willing to give up my soul. I just want my son back." Angel shouted into the rocky area, hearing his voice echo off of the boulders. 

"Denied. The champion's soul cannot be taken. It is bound. It does not know what it asks." The voices sounded throughout the cavern.

"Listen to me. I will do ANYTHING, anything that you want. I will give up anything. Just bring my son back. Let him come home. He doesn't deserve this. Just open some sort of portal and let him come home." Angel's voice shook with desperation. His entire body becoming tight, his stance ready for a fight. 

"Denied. No one can reenter the Quar'toth without this dimension coming to chaos." The voices seemed unconcerned and unaffected by their champion's plea. 

"Then at least you can tell me why. Why did you let that demon take him?"

"We do not interfere with menial lower beings. It is at its meant to be."

"Don't interfere? You can't interfere? YOU ALWAYS INTERFERE! DON'T YOU REMEMBER, YOU ALMOST KILLED MY WIFE WITH VISIONS FROM THE POWERS, FROM YOU! So that I can INTERFERE with evil beings. How is that NOT interference?" His voice began to crack from the intensity and loudness that he was yelling. There was no answer. "Then at least you can tell me, why?  Why Connor? Why did Sah'jan take Connor?"

The voices answered that question, "The boy has the potential to become the greatest champion the world has known. He also has the potential for evil. The path is his alone to chose."

Angel looked deep into the flames, for a moment, quieting to think. "He was going to be a champion? And that's why he was kidnapped? That's why, huh?" He wasn't really asking the conduit, he was talking to himself. His gaze drifted to the stones above him. "Well, I guess that it's all about your champions, huh? Well, you know what I think? I think that you've got so many champions that it doesn't really matter if you allow one to be kidnapped. What's another champion; you've got tons of them. So I guess you don't need me, then. You help me get my son back, or I won't be your champion. I will chose not to. I don't need your mission, your redemption. The PTBs better find a way, a loophole, like you found my seer, or you'll lose two champions today. Unless they do, I won't do anything. Nothing. I'm not going to do anything that they ask me to do. Screw you and screw the magnificent Powers That Be." 

His rage was like the living flames before him. He picked up a heavy boulder and threw it in the fire pit that he was standing in front of and as he threw it the cavern echoed his pain, rage and grief. The screams seemingly echoed throughout the city. 

To be continued in **_Chapter 7: Huh?_**


	6. Chapter 7: Huh?

_Disclaimer: As always, Angel the series and all of its characters belong to Joss Whedon and its various networks and production companies, NOT ME. Please don't sue me, I'm not making any money off of this. It's just mindless fun. _

**Rating: PG- 14**

_PS: Again, as with all of my stories, my mistakes are my own. I don't have a beta_. 

[Thoughts are in _italics_, speech is in quotation marks, "". Okay?]

**Fast Forward**

**By: Sensue**

**Chapter 7: Huh?**

Robin looked at his wife of less than two days, "What the hell happened while we were gone? Is Nicky okay? I know that Connor was kidnapped, but is my son okay?

"Nicky and Cathy are fine. Well, they're both understandably upset, but they're alright physically. They're sleeping in Angel and Cordy's bedroom right now." Wesley informed the stressed out parents. 

"Fucking shit. So you mean Cordy's parents did this? They took Connor? God, They could've taken Nicky and Cathy too. Fucking assholes, I'm going to kill them!" Faith shouted, enraged. Yet, there was a part of her that was afraid. It could've been her son. Guilt shook her, she shouldn't have left, even though it was her honeymoon. She and Robin should've stayed in L.A. and just spent the night in a hotel, this hotel, and had their honeymoon. 

"Umm. Honey, speaking of Nicky," Lorne tried to work in the conversation. Both Faith and Robin looked up sharply, their heads twisting in a sharp arc. 

"Is he okay? Oh, God, is he hurt? What?" Robin asked, fearful of the answer.

"No, no, no. He's fine, well actually he's really upset because he saw the whole thing, but I just wanted to tell you about, well the easiest way to say it is, his 'gift'." Lorne was attempting to sooth them, but was putting them further on edge.

"What gift?" Robin interjected; he put a hand on his wife's shoulders.

"Well, it seems that Nicky is an Empath, similar to Lorne," Wesley explained. He was hoping to elevate some of the fear by going straight to the point.

Now it was the others turn to be surprise for the reaction that they were expecting didn't come. Faith shook her head and said, "Huh? Oh. We already knew about that. I thought you were going to tell me that he could fly or some crap like that." She seemed relieved that that was all they had to tell her.

"Um, What?" Gunn asked. His brow wrinkled in a frown. "You already knew?"

"Hey, it runs in my family. My grandmother always knew what we were up to. If we were bad, the second we walked through the door, a chair would be already setup in the corner. And if we were sad or really happy about something, she's make us cookies before we could tell her the news. It's in the Davies family genes from my dad's side of the family.  The Evans side, my mom's side, didn't have any psychic ability, I just ended up weird. My half-sister has got the 'gift' too, Lorne. Except she talks to dead people like the freaky kid in "Sixth Sense." I haven't seen her since our dad left. When my mom died, he married Louise, and they had three kids. I was always the fifth wheel; my dad really wanted to start a new life, without me in it, but Louise really liked me and took me in. Then when I was fourteen, Louise was murdered. Right after that, I got all 'chosen' and that's when the shit hit the fan. My dad fell apart completely and Tru, my half-sister, kept saying that her mom talked to her, even though she was dead. I had to leave. I couldn't stay there."  

They stared at her in shock. In all the time that they worked with her, they never knew about her past; that she even had another family. Faith Evans, whoops, Faith Wood now, continued, "It's usually the women in the family who have the gift, but this is the first time a boy got it. I mean, of course we noticed our son was special. I didn't tell you all, because it's not a big deal. Nicky, doesn't even know what he can do, because he thinks it's normal. I mean, come on, I'm a slayer, you all are demon hunters/ Private investigators…we work with two vampires with souls, a green empath demon from Pylea, his god-mother is a part-demon/seer/warrior princess, We're all strange. He's no different than the rest of us."

"We don't care that our son has this gift. He's still our little boy and we love him. I wouldn't care if he turned green and—," Robin's speech was interrupted by Lorne.

"Uh, Hey…talking to Mr. Green here."

"Ok. How about pink? You don't have a problem with pink, do you?" Lorne shook his head no, in acceptance of the color pink. Robin continued as if he wasn't interrupted, probably due to his years of being a high school principal, "I'd love my son even if he turned pink. I love my son and I love my wife." Robin's eyes met his wife's and his eyes promised her forever. 

Faith turned to kiss him, still in honeymoon mode, listening in the background as Fred moaned in that girly way, "aww." 

Slam. Bang.

The moment was lost as the door to the hotel slammed shut and Angel stormed through hitting everything in his way and throwing aside what wasn't. He was swearing under his breath (figuratively speaking, of course), stomping and running his hands through his short spiky and uncombed hair. 

They heard little bits of his muttering, "Fucking powers…screwed…hate them…ass…my son…champion…no longer."

As he paced the halls, Spike jumped in front of him, asking, "Umm. Angel, you okay?"

"What the hell do you think? NO!" Angel pushed him out of the way and continued his mindless pacing. "There really is no hope. Nothing. I'm not going to get my son back. Damn them. I have to try something. Do something. Anything! I can't just sit here while my son's in Hell. I know what Hell's like. It's horrible. God. Someone please help him. Protect him there, until I can find a way." He was now talking to himself. Pleading and praying, yes praying for his son's return. There was no answer to his prayers. 

He looked up once more, hoping and praying for that the portal that swallowed his son to come and do the same for him. With one last look around, he gave up hope. His head turned downcast, took an unneeded breath and went up the stairs. Spike and Fred followed him up, making sure that he wasn't going to do anything to hurt himself. _Like throw himself on a stake, Spike thought, _the princess will be really mad if we let that happen.__

They followed him to Connor's room. It was still messy, even though his mother had asked him to clean it before dinner. Toy trucks lined the floor near the toy rollercoaster ramps. The bed was crumpled, as if the little boy who owned it had thrown himself on it. His scent, Spike smelled, still permeated the room. As if he was still there. 

Fred waited at the door with Spike, not wanting to intrude, but wanting to make sure that her friend was going to be okay. Angel sat down on his son's bed. As he sat, the covers which contained his scent released microscopic particles of dust into the air around him, in effect surrounding Angel with the scent of his son. That's all it took to release him. 

Angel turned his body to lie on the small bed, putting his head on the pillow his son had once put his head on, and sobbed at the atrociousness of losing his son. 

Cordy had woken suddenly, at first forgetting that her son was gone. She looked around wondering where she was. The drapes in the room were so thick that no light entered the room. Then she spotted William's jacket in the corner of the room in the chair. _How did I get to William's room?_ Cordy thought. 

The memories returned so quickly Cordy cried out at the suddenness. _Oh, God. Connor_, she thought tears coming to her eyes. That's when she heard the sobs coming from Connor's bedroom. She ran down the hall. She saw Fred outside the door, also crying. She ignored her friend for a moment, prioritizing the need to see who was sobbing like that it the room. What she saw would haunt her in her dreams as long as she lived. 

Her husband was sobbing his heart out. Crying uncontrollably, his trembling shaking the tiny bed. William was there; His head on his sire's back, also crying. But, at the same time he was trying to comfort him. He rubbed his hands gently along Angel's back, trying to sooth the pain. It permeated the room. Anguish pouring itself, coming off of the walls, in waves. 

Cordy slowed down. She walked over to her husband and brother and sat down on the small bed on the other side. Tears were also streaming down her face. She put her head on the pillow right next to her husband, putting her hands on his face and pulling hers close to his, whispering reassurances and empty promises. She tried to wipe at his tears at first, but found that they kept coming. She abandoned all sense of calming him and joined him in their grief. 

Their happy home was no longer. 

They all had lost all hope of Connor ever being rescued from the Quar'toth. 

He was now living in a hell dimension with that hideous demon, Sah'jan. 

They would never see him again. 

But now, now, there was the one endless question they asked themselves, "How do we go through life without Connor in it?"

To be Continued…

Chapter 8: Where do we go from here?

This is a short chapter. I needed for Angel and the others to give up hope of rescuing Connor. (Don't worry, I told you he's coming back as a teenager, and he will; I just don't know how to do it just yet. Give me time.)

PS—I think that the majority of you caught the **Tru**** Calling reference. It's the new television show that stars Eliza Dushku, the actress that plays Faith Evans on Buffy and Angel. I know that it's been done before, but if there's enough interest, I'll do a crossover. (It's up to you, the readers, to let me know if you want me to write it though. So email me and tell me to write it.)**


	7. Chapter 8: Where do we go from here?

Disclaimer: I don't own them. Yada Yada Yada. I'm sorta' tired of writing it…J

Rating: PG 14

If you want to go back to Chapter 7, either click on Chapter 7 or Go to my Fanfiction Page.

****

**Fast Forward**

**By Sensue**

**Chapter 8: Where do we go from here?** (Not a musical)

_6:00 am (three weeks later) Hyperion Hotel_

Cordy woke at the same time she'd always woken up for the last 6 ½ years. She got out of bed quietly as to not disturb her husband and put on her warm fleece robe that the children had bought her on Mother's Day. She had always loved wearing it because it was so warm and comfortable. The kids love climbing on her and using it like a blanket when they cuddled. Now it was a reminder of the happy times she spent with her children; especially her son.

After taking a few minutes to freshen herself up and brush her hair, she made her way down to the kitchen. Faith and Robin were already up, waiting for the coffee machine and talking quietly to each other. 

  
Robin looked up from his newspaper, said, "Good Morning, Cordy," then continued reading his daily scoop of the sports page. That man was very predictable. He was already dressed in his suit, newspaper in hand; his suitcase in its spot by the counter, ready and organized for the new day. 

Faith was making her idea of breakfast: two cups of coffee loaded with three spoons of sugar each. _I guess slayer metabolism is a plus_, Cordy thought. At exactly, 6:30 am, Robin refolded his paper, got up, stretched out for about fifteen minutes more, then picked up his jacket, suitcase and travel mug, kissing his wife goodbye before heading out the door to his new job at St. Paul's High School.

A week after Robin and Faith had returned from their ill fated honeymoon, Robin had decided to take another job as a high school principal in L.A. during the day and then also help Angel Investigations with their cases later in the evening. He still felt he had to do something to help 'the future of America.' He loved teaching and helping children. In this way, it was sort of his way to make up for not being here to help his nephew, Connor from being kidnapped. 

It wasn't that he hadn't tried, quite the opposite in fact, Robin and Faith had tried very hard to get Connor back. It was just that no one else knew WHAT they had done. Shortly after they received that phone call from Spike while they were in Hawaii, begging them to come home, telling them everything that had happened and that the children were hurting, they packed up and rushed home to Los Angeles.  It was just that they had made a short side trip, as well.

Spike had told them that Cordy's parents were the ones that set up the whole thing. That they had come into their home and acted like they just wanted to visit their daughter and fooled them all into thinking that they gave a shit about her. Then they try to ruin her life by kidnapping her son. _I wonder what the fuckers would say if they found out that Connor wasn't even really Cordelia's birth son; he was the son of Angel and his horrible one night stand with Darla, his vampire sire_, Faith thought angrily. _They took that little boy for nothing_. 

Robin was just as angry, knowing what it felt like to live his life without his parents, an orphan due to the Slayer heritage. If it wasn't for his mother's watcher taking him in and treating him as a son, he would've been like Connor, practically living in Hell on the streets. He wondered if it was that bad in Quar'toth. Robin himself had never heard of the Hell dimension, but that wasn't surprising since he didn't really focus studying on dimensional gateways, wanting to instead hunt demons, especially vampires. 

Although the rumors spoke of the couple running to another country like Sweden, they found them extremely closer to home. They had hunted Mr. and Mrs. Chase to a fancy hotel in L.A. that Wolfram and Hart had contracted. After checking in with the desk, Faith explained to the manager that she 'Cordelia Chase' was looking for her parents because there was a huge family emergency at home. There was no way that she was going to leave the hotel without talking to her mother. Didn't they know that she was rich and her parents would be very mad at the hotel for keeping them away? So after a shouting match, the manager agreed to let them wait in 'her parents' room until they arrived from a dinner party down at that Wolfram and Hart firm. 

Once Faith was allowed to wait in the room, she opened the door and let her husband in. They rummaged through the entire room looking for any evidence that they kidnapped Connor. What they found deeply insulted them. The contract that Mr. Chase signed was in the bottom of the couple's suitcase, not even hidden correctly where any old thief could steal it. Robin read it, swearing at the stupidity and ignorance. He told Faith that the contract stated that they would agree to 'take their daughter's son into custody' due to concerns that his parents were neglecting him and possibly abusing him. The document made Angel and Cordelia sound like homicidal maniacs, even mentioning the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Angel had been suspected of taking in a fugitive wanted for three counts of murder: Faith Evans. His wife started swearing; if anyone had seen the contract, the police would have to investigate their home, and possibly take away the remaining children. 

She looked at her husband, both thinking the same thing, 'burn it.' She took out her handy lighter and started a wastebasket on fire…then threw in the contract. 

Flash.

Spark.

The document did something strange that neither expected. It had seemingly exploded, yet gave off a glowing spark that escaped through the ceiling of the building. Not knowing what had happened, they ignored it. Yet, the bright light was evident to all who walked passed the hotel. People stopped to stare as they walked past on the sidewalk. 

Faith and Robin had waited another two hours for the kidnappers. They didn't come back.  "You know what, Faith? I think that when we burned the contract, it let off some sort of a warning, the bright light. They probably saw it and ran. I don't think that they're coming back."

So with that, they made their way back to the Hyperion, wanting to see for themselves that their son, Nicky was okay. They didn't tell anyone but Wesley about the contract, feeling it would only cause more fear for the grieving parents. 

After Robin had left for work, Faith and Cordy had their cups of coffee, talking quietly about the plans made later in the day. After they finished their drink, Faith got out the orange juice, frozen waffles, and cereal in order to prepare breakfast for the children. Cordy walked up the stairs, carefully trying not to make any excessive noise. Wesley and Fred had decided to crash at the hotel rather than go to their own apartments. They wanted to be readily available if they were needed for any reason. Cordy was thinking of just asking them to move in, they already had their own rooms and their things were already in them. Why waste their hard earned money for an apartment that they never used. She wanted to ask them, but she didn't. 

Her husband was very temperamental of late. He didn't like rapid change anymore and they would often fight over nothing lately. Angel, she knew, was hit hard by Connor's kidnapping. But so was she, and she at least tried to maintain a happy façade for the children's sake. Though it honestly dind't matter anymore, her god-son, Nicky could ready her emotions as easily as he could read a Harry Potter novel. And her daughter was also smart enough to know she was hiding her sadness.

The others were very supportive, often bringing her comfort foods and talking to her about her feelings. She was at a loss about Angel, though. It had been three weeks and she knew that Connor wasn't coming back. She wanted to let go of his things. Her little boy didn't need school clothes, didn't need toys or books in a hell dimension; he needed survival skills and things like food, shelter and clothing. It was better, she thought, to give it to another little boy who needed it. Angel exploded at her suggestion, feeling that she only wanted to erase Connor's life and all traces that he existed. He was so mad, she was afraid for a moment. She looked into his eyes, expecting to see Angelus lingering, but instead saw the bleak emptiness and grief that he buried within.

She apologized and held him until the rage dissipated. He kissed her and told her that he was the sorry one for scaring her. That he would never hurt her. That if he ever did, he would stake himself. But, Connor's room was to be left alone.

Thinking about that day, she continued climbing the stairs to Cathy's room. She stopped being surprised to find Nicky with her, sharing the bed. She gently shook the two awake whispering that it was time for school. They grumbled like children who don't want to go to school do, but got up after a nudge. Together they washed up and brushed their teeth. Then Nicky, only leaving Cathy's side for a minute, went to his room to dress. Cathy dressed in her room, then waited for Cordy to brush and braid her hair. Nicky came back in as she was finishing, so Cordy also brushed his hair back and added a little bit of gel to it. After the two were dressed and ready, they went down the stairs just in time for breakfast. 

The fist time that Nicky had slept in Cathy's room was frightening. Faith had woken up to find him missing from his bedroom. She had yelled for help and ran to Cathy's room, all the while believing that they had both been kidnapped like Connor. She opened her niece's room only to find them snuggled together. She had almost cried in her relief. After they all calmed down, she had asked Nicky why did he want to stay in Cathy's room, and listening to him speak of his fears of being alone. 

After consulting with the other adults at home, it was agreed that Nicky and Cathy could continue to let them. Just until they felt safe again. Wesley had argued against it at first, telling them that they would become too reliant on each other, but after hearing them screaming bloody murder at night, he had changed his mind. 

Angel was becoming the overprotective father from hell. He was fearful of letting them out of his sight. He didn't want them to go to school, but that was an argument he was bound to lose. They needed to get out of the house. It was important in letting them feel safe again, by acting like normal. So they compromised; the children would be driven to and from school by Gunn. The teachers, bus drivers and other parents in the class were informed that their son Connor had be kidnapped by "people" who the Private Investigating team was investigating. They were warned that NO ONE besides Cordy, Faith, Robin, Gunn, Fred and Wesley were allowed near the children; They even went so far as to give them photographs of what they all looked like. If anyone in a suit came near Nicky or Cathy, the school was to call them immediately. Their fathers were also teaching them self-defense. If anyone tried to take them, they had to learn to fight back and escape from their clutches.

Angel had said it was a necessary evil, in order to keep them protected. _In a way_, Cordy believed, _it also took away some of their innocence. They no longer believed that the world was a safe place_. But they all agreed that the children had to learn to fight. 

Cathy and Nicky had spent more time playing with their fathers than other kids in their classes. But they were being taught valuable lessons: How to deal with problems, how to fight, deal with bullies, and even talk about things that were bothering them.

The children were still eating breakfast when Gunn walked in, a smile on his face. It seems, Cordy thought pouring the milk in Cathy's cereal, that Mr. Charles Gunn had a good evening last night with Miss Andrea Schow. He had ended up waiting almost two weeks before telling anyone about her. When he did, it wasn't really a surprise; he liked her at first sight. She had hired their company to investigate a demon (De'tency or something like that) nest near her home and to protect her from them until they found a way to get rid of them. Gunn had shocked everyone by volunteering to stay in her home to protect her rather that take a more active role in 'taking them out.' The men in the company could see why, but had opted not to say it out loud due to their women standing next to them. He had just come from her apartment in time to drop the kids off for school. 

While everyone was getting ready to leave, Spike and Angel had woken up to check on everyone. They kissed the kids goodbye and wished them all a wonderful day at school. They had stayed up until Gunn called them on his cell phone and told them that they were in their classrooms. Gunn, of course, had to walk them to the door of the classroom, talk to the teacher, then call Angel. Many of the other student's parents were worried for the safety of their children, but as the time past by had thought that they were being paranoid. 

Still, life had continued. It had become a rouge chore, no longer fun and exciting. Moments that had been filled with laughter had now become moments of fear and worry.

_Two weeks later (after that)_

_This is it_, Cordy thought, _the point of no return_. Kathy and Nicky were getting better; they no longer woke up screaming and were starting to slowly separate again. They were also starting to have fun and wanted their freedom again. They wanted to play outside and go to the park again. They didn't want to practice Tae Chi anymore. They wanted to leave their home more often, even just to go grocery shopping. They wanted to play with their friends. _Which is why World War II is going to explode right in the middle of the hotel lobby._

Angel, along with Spike, although Spike wasn't nearly as bad, wanted to keep the children safe. Angel wanted someone with them at all times. They weren't allowed outside, even the garden, without someone knowing where they were. He was inadvertently smothering them. Cathy, so much like her mother, knew what she wanted and wanted it now. She was stubborn like that, believing since her mom was a REAL princess (of Pylea, of course), so was she. 

Her best friend, Marcy had invited her and Nicky to her birthday party at a skating rink down the street. Both children wanted to go. Angel, of course, wanted to come along, even though it was a child's party, to make sure it was safe. Cathy threw a temper tantrum and started screaming. She was sick of everyone watching her, that she wasn't a baby, and she wasn't going to let anyone take her. If they tried, she knew what to do, her father had taught her. 

So now she was screaming at her father, telling him that she hated him. Angel was yelling back. Nicky got caught in the crossfire of words and was now on the floor crying because of the harsh emotions being flung around carelessly. 

Cordy only stared. _It's time to stop this, she thought, __before someone says something that'll hurt everyone. Angel needs to let this go, we can't go on like this. It'll kill us all slowly by destroying our spirits, our souls. We need to be able to live normal lives without fear, without paranoia. The children need to live normal lives._

With those thoughts, she took a deep breath and yelled, "Angel, stop it! No more yelling!" Now that everyone was quiet she ordered, "Cathy, please go to your room. Now!, please." Her daughter looked defeated as she ran to her room and slammed the door shut. 

Nicky was picked up off of the floor by Robin, who stood close by when the shouting had started. The boy cried against his shoulder, tears seeping into his shirt. Noticing Cordy's stance, Robin left the hall, taking Nicky into another room to get him calmed down, rubbing his back as he left. He thought, _God, can this get any worse? We all need a break. Anything that will help Angel and Cordy through this shit. If Angel doesn't snap out of this, he's going to lose his entire family; He has to let Cordy back into his heart, or he'll lose her. _

For a moment, Cordy and Angel were alone. They looked at each other and just knew that this conversation was either going to save or destroy their marriage. "Angel--," Cordy began. 

"Angel, nothing, Cordy. Just forget it! I'm not going to fight with you anymore. They aren't going. It's too dangerous. I think I know what's best for my kids."

"Angel, it's a birthday party. It's not dangerous. And that is not what I wanted to say. God, Angel, please. You're starting to scare the kids. I know our son was taken from us, but if you don't stop acting like this you're going to lose Cathy and Nicky too. They're starting to resent you. They want their independence. You can't keep them locked up in the Hyperion all day. They have lives. They have friends and they need to be with them. They need to play. We are missing Connor's childhood; he's stuck in a Hell Dimension. Angel, he might be dead. WE DON'T KNOW! But I do not want to miss a second of Cathy and Nicky's childhood and you are taking it away from them. Don't you understand?"

"What I understand is that you keep pushing me! You're the one that doesn't understand. I'm trying to keep them safe."

"But, you're not. You're keeping them prisoner. No one is hurting them, but you. You are hurting them. I know that you don't think so, but you are. Angel, they haven't even seen the sun for five weeks! They deserve to play. To have some fun. They're babies, babies compared to you. You've lived 250 years; they haven't even seen six yet. Angel, let them go. You have to, for all of our sakes," Cordy desperately tried to make him understand. She wanted to give her children everything: the sun, the moon, and the stars. He wanted to hide them from life. 

"So you think that I'm a bad father?"

"NO! No, Angel. You're not a bad father. You are wonderful. But you need to let them go. Let them have a life. Just because their brother is gone, doesn't mean that they should stop living. They need to move on; so do you. Angel, when was the last time that you went out on a case? The last time you helped anyone? The last time you talked to anyone outside of these walls? I think that we need a breather. We have to get out of this hotel. Go on a trip, with the kids. All of us just leave for a couple of weeks. Please."

'No' was going to be his automatic answer. He didn't want to go on vacation while his son was suffering in hell. He didn't want to leave his territory; he could protect his family here. He opened his mouth to say it when he really took a minute to look at his wife. She was right. It had been too long since they'd seen the sun. She was pale, her hair brittle, not its usual fluffy glow. She looked thinner too, as if she'd lost weight. Her eyes no longer shining with excitement, she wasn't happy. 

When they spoke their vows, he had promised he would never hurt her, that he would try his best to make her the happiest woman in the world. Looking at her now, he'd failed miserably. "I'm sorry, Cordy. I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt anyone. I just wanted to keep you all safe. I'll do whatever you want. I want you to be happy. I don't want Cathy to hate me. I don't want to make Nicky cry. I'm so sorry." With that, he went down on his knees and hugged her middle, his head pressed against her stomach, in his way, begging for forgiveness.

"It's okay, Angel," her gently coon calmed him as she held his head and raked her nails across his hair gently. "I promise it'll be okay. Maybe not today, but in the future. Life will go on."

_Later that day_

It was agreed upon by everyone that they would take a vacation. The others, by mere look alone, decided unanimously that they would go anywhere that Cordy suggested. 

She talked them all into going on a camping trip in Washington State. "The Rainier Mountains are beautiful," she said, "they have great cabins and lakes for fishing and swimming. We could have a fun trip in the great outdoors. Oh, and it has plumbing and electricity. I'm not going anywhere unless my hair dryer works." 

She laughed. Actually had made a joke. It seemed that the hardest part was over. They were getting on with their lives. Everything was going to be okay now. 

"Ok, we should get packing so that we can drive at night so Angel and Spike don't get turned into a big ball of flames, although it'd be fun if we had marshmallows, I really think I'd miss them." They all laughed at that; Angel's lips turning slightly in a smile. Then she started issuing orders. They needed supplies in short demand. The others loved it. It had been so long since she'd applied herself, since she enjoyed ordering everyone that they all jumped to obey her every request. 

They were all happy. Smiling and laughing.

The air shifted suddenly, even the humans in the room felt it. It turned dark. A swirl began to form, light emanated from it. Sparks and shadows rose from every corner of the room. The children were pulled by Lorne to hide under the desk with him.

The winds rose, pulling at them. Pushing at them. The sparks flew, harder, sharper. 

Then a huge furry monster they had never seen before fell out. It's head enormous. The teeth at least a couple of inches. Angel, Faith, Spike, Wesley, Gunn, and Robin grabbed their weapons from the nearby weapons cabinet. They were ready to fight it. 

The head fell off. 

And revealed a teenage boy. 

A toothy smile came from him. The others stood at the ready. Angel had dropped his sword at the familiar scent.

A voice came out, one not really matching the strong, hard body. He spoke, "Hello, Dad. Mommy."

_How did you all like that? Good, yes?_

_Also, I'm trying to keep all mistakes to a minimum. I know I hate when I read something that doesn't make sense or is spelled wrong, but if you notice anything just let me know. 'Kay?_

_To be continued, again…sorry.__ But, hey it only takes me a day or two to write the next chapter so you can wait. (HaHaHa) I'm keeping you all in suspense._

_Chapter 9: Welcome home_


	8. Chapter 9: Welcome Home Story complete

Sorry. This chapter took a little longer to put up…I've been busy. 

Rating: PG 13

Summary: Connor's back from Quar'toth.

Pairings: Angel/Cordy, Faith/Wood, Fred/Wesley, Gunn/OC (Andrea Schow)

**Song**: "_Drifting" by Sarah McLachlan. _

**Fast Forward**

**By: Sensue**

**Chapter 9: Welcome Home**

_You've been gone so long all that you know  
has been shuffled aside as you bask in the glow  
of the beautiful strangers who whisper your name  
do they fill up the emptiness?****_

Cordy had seen Angel drop his sword. At first she'd thought the demon had some sort of mind control ability because Angel would never just drop his sword, especially since they were all in danger. She took a second glance at her husband's face. His mouth was open slightly, his eyes opened wide: he looked as if he was in shock. She wondered why, it was a strange looking demon, sure, but they'd seen scarier. Hell, she'd felt more scared in one of her visions. They all had weapons; Faith, the slayer, a weapon on her own accord. Spike was backing them all up. Whatever this demon was, there was no way it could overpower all of them.

The demon was extremely furry. Its entire body was covered in hair. Its eyes a disgusting puke yellow. It had claws, but not on its "hands," instead it seemed to be around its neck. It also seemed to be holding some kind of a weapon. It looked like the stake throwers that Angel and Wesley constructed for the team.  It also seemed to be large, bulky at the very least. One good push could topple it over. At least, that's what everyone thought before the fur fell off to reveal a boy, a teenaged boy.

The first words out of his mouth were, "Hello. Dad, Mommy." 

The others stood paralyzed for a moment; _Did he just say what they thought he said?_

Cordy stared at the boy closely. His face was dirty and had short stubble. Looking deeper, she noticed his eyes, brown similar to others she'd seen before. Others she knew better than anyone else. His hair was a dirty brown color that could stand to be shampooed. But what caused alarm bells to sound in her head was the boy's forehead, specifically his brow. It was the same broody brow that she used to smooth over every night before she went to sleep. The same brow that she kissed every morning on the way to school. "God, Connor," she heard Angel gasp.

There he was, their son, standing in front of them. All she wanted to do was to run to take him into her arms and hold him forever. The only problem was that she couldn't move. It was as if her legs were glued to the ground. So instead she stood there staring at the boy, at Connor. It took several more seconds to command her body to move. Finally, after what seemed 

like an eternity, her legs unglued and she moved towards him. "Connor," she gasped, "My little Angel."

_Larger than life is your fiction  
In a universe made up of one  
You have been drifting for so long  
I know you don't want to come down  
Somewhere below you, there's people who love you  
And they're ready for you to come home  
Please come home_

The boy turned to look at her, staring intently at first, but it was her voice, her scent which he remembered. The way she called him a little angel. Lost in thought, he was surprised to find her standing right in front of him. Her hands, as ever gentle as he remembered, reached out to touch his face. She ran her hand from his cheek to his forehead, her hand lingered there, fingers resting against his temple. She could fell the rapid thumping of his pulse there. Then, she moved her hands down to his neck, cupping him and pulling him against her shoulder, holding him in a tight embrace. 

He closed his eyes, soaking in the warmth. Another body soon pressed against his and his mother's. He opened his eyes slightly to look at the man, also scenting him. He didn't know why, but he always could smell the distinctive scents of everyone he'd ever met, demons, animals, and now, it seemed humans, as well. It certainly helped him in Quar'toth. He always used his nose to hunt for food. He used his speed to capture them, and his strength to overcome the animal's ferociousness. 

It was nice, to be around humans, people like him. For a moment, he relaxed, subconsciously knowing that he could trust these people, the mommy and dad, to protect him. The moment of peace only lasted for a couple of minutes. The others in the room kept looking at him. He pulled back from the mommy and dad. The mommy started crying. 

_You walk in a room and the world stops to stare  
Mesmerize all who are caught in the glare  
Of the spotlight that follows wherever you go  
Does it light up the emptiness?_

The sound made Connor back away. Yet, things were still quiescent, the air literally charged with excitement and fear. 

_Yet as it was with all particles of charge, any traveling electron could disrupt the field and cause an instantaneous discharge of energy_, Fred thought scientifically about Connor's reaction later on that night. 

Since the hotel lobby had quieted and no one was yelling, Lorne had decided it was probably safe to come out from under the desk. Cathy and Nicky popped their heads out too. 

Unfortunately, Connor had taken one look at him, obviously not remembering his Uncle Lorne, and pulled out the dagger in his "coat" to kill the demon.  He howled before he lifted his dagger above his head. At that moment, he looked less like a boy and more like a homicidal maniac in one of those bloody teenager slasher movies.

The kids had screamed at the sight of a stranger coming near them with a weapon. Angel had been very precise about what to do if they were attacked. First, run! Don't try to fight if you can run away and escape. Second, if they held you down, play "dead" and then attack when the other is not expecting it. And always, always yell, scream, make any kind of noise possible to alert anyone in the vicinity for help.  In this instance, running was the first, and right, impulse. They quickly ran to their mothers to be scooped up and held closely until the danger had passed. 

Lorne had also screamed at the sight of his once lost nephew coming at him with what looked like a very sharp knife. Before he could even think of what to say to get him to stop, the dagger came down across his neck, severing his head from his body. They both fell to the ground, unmoving and seemingly dead. 

Of course, since Lorne was Plyean, his people could not be killed that easily. His head being severed from body was only the first step. In order to truly kill him though, his body had to be mutilated Connor didn't know that important fact so Lorne had thanked his lucky stars. Lorne's eyes were going to stay closed; there was no way he was going to be chopped up into little bits by his friends' son.  No matter how much like his father he looked.  _He's a little crumb cake_, Lorne thought, _his father's the Angel Cake_. 

Faith and Spike, who were still at the ready to attack, even though they knew the Portal Jumper was Connor.  They tried to stop Connor from beheading Lorne but were waved aside by Angel. Angel knew that Lorne wasn't in any real danger. His head could always be put back on his body without a problem. The main problem was to get his son to calm down and understand that Lorne was not an "evil" demon, but his uncle in all but blood.  He slowly walked up to his wayward son. He was panting for air, as if he had run a marathon. He looked around as if monsters were everywhere. His eyes blinking rapidly and dancing from one side of the room to the other. Once he'd noticed Angel coming closer, he crouched down, looking like a cat ready to pounce. Angel stopped. He held out his hands, palms out in what he hoped was the universal sign of surrender. 

"It's okay, Connor. No one is going to hurt you." He looked around to the others and glanced upstairs. The others understood and left the room, giving Connor some space. Only Cordy remained, refusing to leave her son, now that he was back for even a second. "Lorne, that's the green demon that you beheaded, he's a friend. He's not bad or evil. It's okay." 

Cordy, as slow as her husband, walked over to Lorne and kneeled at his side. She picked up his head and put in back on his body. This time making sure it faced the right way. Lorne had made sure to never let her forget the time in Plyea in which she accidentally put his head on backwards. They had to re-chop off his head and put in back in the right direction. She whispered in Lorne's ear, "It's okay. Just play dead until he calms down; then you can get up, very slowly though. I'll tell you when, okay? Well, I assume that you understand."

Once that task was complete she walked over to her son. She held out both of her hands, waiting until he mimicked her and put his hands out to her as well before taking them gently. "Sweetheart, I know that you don't understand. This is a strange place compared to Quar'toth. It's full of very different kinds of people and demons." She pulled him over to the couch in the center of the room and pulled him down next to her as she sat. Her favorite robe littered the back of it. She took the warm robe and put it in her lap. Then she reached over and held Connor's hand, motioning for him to scoot closer to her. Once he was situated close, she pulled the robe over his lap and shifted his head to lie on her shoulder. 

She took a deep breath, there was so much that needed to be said. So much that they had missed of his life. Cordy, for once, didn't know what to say to make it all better. There was no band-aid big enough to close the wound created by his kidnapping. There was no song or story that could be told to relate.  No amount of hugging that would give them back the time that they missed. She didn't even know HOW he got back. She didn't think that she wanted to know.  Her son was back and she couldn't care less of the details of his return. She just wanted to make it easier on him. To help him understand what the new world that he landed on was all about. There were more dangers and fears in this world that any Hell dimension, Angel had once told her. In a Hell Dimension, animals that attacked you had reason or at least you could stand to predict their actions. Humans, he said, were the only species that he'd ever met that could lie, straight out, act innocent, and then destroy you while you weren't looking. Betrayal, greed, jealously, and disloyalty were the true dangers. That's why humans killed each other daily. That's why no one was truly safe in this world. 

Angel decided to give his wife and son some alone time. To allow her to "work her magic touch." That woman was the most kind hearted person that he'd ever known. She was bound to get through to Connor. He had faith in his wife's 'mommy' ability to make everything alright again. He went upstairs and waited; giving them the impression that they were alone. 

_Larger than life is your fiction  
In a universe made up of one  
You have been drifting for so long  
I know you don't want to come down  
Somewhere below you, there's people who love you  
And they're ready for you to come home  
Please come home_

Connor sat still. He'd never been held like this before, by anything in Quar'toth, it felt warm and cozy. The mommy as he called her, spoke softly as she stroked his hair, "Alright. I'm going to start at the beginning. I don't know what you remember, so I'm just going to tell you everything. I'm not going to lie to you. First of all, your name is Connor Angel. You were born on Nov. 19, 2001. Um, I'm not your birth mother. Her name was Darla. She gave birth to you. She gave up her life so that you could live. Your father's name is Angel. He is a vampire. So was your mother. I married your father a few months after you were born. My name is Cordelia Chase-Angel. You have a little sister named Cathy Lucy…" the story continued, explaining everything to him. She tried to talk slowly and she looked directly into his eyes. She wanted to know if he understood. 

The last thing she told him lead to an unexpected reaction. "Now, about demons. Connor, all demons are not evil. Some are forces of good. Like your father and Uncle Will or Spike, whatever you'd like to call him. They have souls so they can work to help people. Like Uncle Lorne, who can get off of the floor now, but only if you promise you won't try to hurt him." Connor nodded in agreement. "And like me. I'm part demon."

The second those words were uttered that wild look came over him again. He looked out of control. The knife tucked in his pants was pulled out and he tried to stab her. 

She blocked his attack and used her powers against him. Against her son. The room glowed in white light. Purifying the evil that penetrated his soul. The fear of the unknown, his hatred of all things demon; all of this was purged from his system. Leaving him breathless and sobbing against her. Crying that he was sorry. That he didn't mean to hurt her. That he needed help and wanted her to love him. 

Angel had jumped down from the top of the stairs after hearing the yell. He was ready to pull his son off of his mother when Cordy used her glowy power. The room lit with the bright energy that Cordy emanated. He had seen her do this many times. Using her abilities to destroy evil creatures that they were unable to fight. When the room darkened to its original intensity, he looked over to see the passing of the storm. His son was crying, sobbing against his mother. Angel, unable to watch his son's pain any longer joined his family on the couch. He slid in next to his wife and pulled his teenaged son across his lap. He put his arms around Cordy and Connor, pulling them in so they both were resting against his chest. He kissed his son on the forehead, whispering comforting nothings. The sobs slowed down to light tears, but the emotional upheaval had left the boy short of breath. He then put his head against Cordy's, the first time in over a month that he'd been able to rest quietly with his wife. 

Angel spoke softly as to not ruin the moment, "It's going to take some time, I know. But I just wanted to tell you that we both love you. We all do, in fact. We welcome you back home and hope that, in time, you can feel comfortable. You'll be alright. Everything will be alright now. You're home. That's all that matters. Now, your sister and cousin are upstairs and, if they don't get to see you, will probably spontaneously combust from excitement. Do you want to meet them? And your aunts and uncles?"

"Sure. I'll meet them. I promise that I won't try to hurt anyone else. What's spon'taous'ly combust?"

Angel laughed. Actually laughed. The happiness was all over his face. He reached out and cuffed his son on the head, "I'll tell you later. I promise. Just ask me anything. Except about the birds and the bees, 'cause your mom promised me that she'd tell you." 

"Huh?" Connor looked at his father, not quite understanding what birds and bees were.

"Don't worry about it Connor, you dad was just joking. Because he's supposed to tell you." Cordy smiled wickedly at her husband, "I believe that was the agreement."

"No it wasn't…"

"Yes, it was…"

Lorne had let the couple have their fun, but by the twentieth time they'd said, "Yes, I was and No, it wasn't," he was getting bored. He got off the floor and said, "Welcome to the family kid. You're probably going to turn out to be the only normal one in the family. Oh, and don't worry about the taking my head off thing, I completely understand. I was raised in Plyea, and trust me, you don't want to meet my parents."

Lorne walked over to where Connor now stood. He looked uncomfortable and nervous. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't remember you. I, sort of can, now. Mommy helped me to remember my childhood with you all. I can remember how safe and love I felt. I'm sorry again."

"Don't worry about it, Crumb cake. It's forgotten. And you know what? You've come at a wonderfully fun time of the year. Next week is Halloween and after that is your birthday. Although I guess you're not eight years old anymore.  How old are you, anyway?"

"I've lived on Quar'toth for ten years." Connor explained.

"So that makes you eighteen. Well, how about that. Color me happy. Or green. Either or." Lorne was obviously excited over the fact that he was no longer trying to kill him that he was starting to act silly in order to make the boy laugh.

Soon the others stomped down the stairs, the children running up to him and hugging their REALLY BIG brother's knees and telling him how much they missed him. His Aunt Fred had given him a peck on the check, then started giggling happily. Uncle Wesley and Uncle Gunn had thrown their arms around his shoulders and given his a quick hug. "A manly hug," explained Gunn, "you can't be hugging too long, or a brotha's gonna get a rep." 

Uncle Spike, as he chose to call him, had glared at Gunn, then purposely hugged his nephew longer than the both of them combined. After which, he turned and, by way of his flashing eyes, dared them to say anything. 

Most of them ignored Spike in favor of focusing on Connor. 

Faith and Robin introduced themselves and also hugged him. Faith went as far as to stick her tongue out at Gunn to make a point. And to make Connor laugh.

And he did laugh. A smile escaping from his broody face…he was starting to come around. All he needed was time and love. All of which they were going to give him. For he was finally where he belonged.

With his family.

**The END**.

_(With Fast Forward anyway. I'm continuing writing about the Angel family, but I'm going to start it with another title. I'm currently writing a seasonal one that will take you into every holiday in the Angel household. Every holiday will be a different chapter, exploring Connor's new life with his family and the adjustment period.)_ ---Please don't steal my idea. I really am writing it. I'm calling it "This Year." I called it first, so you can't do it. There, that was my temporary regression into grade school. 

I hope you enjoyed this story. I certainly did writing it. Please read and review. (Or at least, sign my guestbook) I want to know what you thought of it. Also don't forget to check out my website. , check out Cordelia's Family Photo Album. It has the pictures that correspond with my fanfiction stories.


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